Inner Fury Of Fire
by DancerInTheDark101
Summary: After BEGA. One tragic incident worsens as the BBA Revolutions fight for what is rightfully theirs and with casualties around every corner, will they succeed? Kai-centric. Slightly edited, some chapters removed and finally COMPLETE!
1. Lost?

Hay there peoples! Here is my brand new fic! Hope you like and please, please, please review! It will make my day! Thanks! Enjoy!

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

_**DancerInTheDark101** _

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 1: Lost?**

"Dranzer! ATTACK!"

Kai's voice powered through the shouts and cheers coming from the spectators in the stands and surrounding areas. He was here to do one job and he intended to finish it, now.

Dranzer slammed into Brooklyn's blade at the sound of his command. A few moments later a shining light emerged from the center of his blue blade and rose into the dusty air.

A magnificent red, orange and gold phoenix hovered in the air above the beyblade that was spinning intensely. The phoenix let out a mighty war cry and lunged at the other beyblade, spinning on the other side of the dish.

The blades hit and sparks began to fly. Flames erupted from Dranzer as Kai called out to his bitbeast. "Dranzer! Volcanic Emission!"

A large explosion rocked the whole stadium, as Dranzer's full power was unleashed. Kai flung an arm up to protect his face from the heat radiating from the middle of the beydish.

Kai was a mess. His slate hair was flying around his pale face, covering his eyes and momentarily causing him to lose sight of the battle raging a few feet in front of him. His body was covered in nasty cuts and bruises, showing through his torn clothes. Blood dripped onto his shirt from a particularly nasty wound on his head, staining the top of his shirt bright crimson. Ironically, it was the same colour as his eyes.

Mild burns covered his unprotected slim arms. They were red, raw and looked extremely painful.

Kai paid no heed to the pain his body was experiencing. All that mattered was finishing the battle and to end up victorious. He had to win. If he didn't, he had no idea of what would happen to the world of beyblading. He had no idea of what would happen to him if BEGA managed to win the Justice Five tournament.

It was common knowledge that the BladeBreakers – now known as G Revolution – would have retire from beyblading permanently if they lost. Kai wasn't sure if that mean him, considering he was still officially registered with the Blitzkrieg Boys.

Clenching his fists, Kai watched as Brooklyn glowered and opened his mouth to scream. "Attack…NOW!"

Kai winced inwardly at the power behind his opponent's voice. Brooklyn wanted to end the match just as quickly as Kai did himself. The only thing different between their desires was that Brooklyn wanted _himself _to win.

A large wind blew through the stadium and Kai gasped as the pain hit him like a tsunami.

_Something was in that gust of wind. Could it be his bitbeast?_

"Kai!"

Kai turned as someone screamed out his name. His eyes flashed as he saw his teammates standing below yelling to him, their hands cupped around their mouths.

He nodded and gave them a very rare small smile as they shouted encouraging words to him. He then turned back to Brooklyn, who was seething in rage.

His body was slowing down and Kai knew that if he didn't end the battle soon, he physically wouldn't be able to carry on anymore. His mind may be able to carry on, his will still intact, but his strength would be gone.

The beydish was a heap of rubble at this point in time and Kai knew that next attack he was about to use would end the match and completely destroy the dish.

Taking a deep breath, he readied his body for the amount of energy loss he was about to put it through. Closing his eyes, Kai mentally called to his bitbeast. _Dranzer, we have to do this. We can't afford to lose. _

Kai was answered with an ear-shattering cry and he opened his eyes, fire burning in their red depths.

"Let's end this! Dranzer! BLAZING GIG TEMPEST!"

A blinding flash erupted from his blade as the phoenix responded to his call. Kai knew that Dranzer was almost at the end of her strength, but he willed for her to gather her last remaining strength and use it to beat Brooklyn.

Dranzer arose from the flashing light and called to the heavens to gather her remaining strength. Below her, Kai was doing the same. If he had no strength, then there was no possible way they would win and they both knew it.

The fire phoenix raced towards the black blade in front of her and collided, golden, red and black sparks emitting as a result of metal on metal.

His attack was met head on by Brooklyn, who looked _furious_. "You're going down today, Kai!" His eyes glinted in the partial light and Kai frowned.

_What is he up to?_

"Now! Attack with Dark Wave!"

Kai felt the darkness and power come rushing out of the black blade spinning in front of him. A shadow rose out of the chip in the middle and Kai shivered as the stadium plummeted in temperature. He felt Dranzer's power battling the cold, fighting with her immortal heat that had kept her alive for centuries.

_:Master. We have to finish this soon:_

Breathing heavily, his crimson eyes trained on Brooklyn's beyblade, Kai sent a mental reply to Dranzer.

_I know, Dranz. You just have to hang on a little longer. I've almost found his weak spot. You'll be okay._

_:It's not me that I am worried about, Master:_

Kai was shocked at her words. He felt his mouth drop open a little and his eyes widen.

_Dranzer? What do you mean? _When there was no response, Kai began to worry. _Dranz? What's going on? Answer me!_

_:Do not worry, Master. It is about to end now. I can feel it:_

Kai was worried. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It was then that he realized the crowd had gone completely silent. A dropped pin could have been heard in the silence that filled the entire stadium.

He looked over to where his beyblade was spinning and gasped. There, in the middle of the dish was Brooklyn's beyblade. It was still. Kai's eyes reverted over to where he last saw his own blade and swallowed, praying that his blade was still spinning. If it ended in a draw, he didn't think he would be able to cope with another match.

Finally, his eyes spotted his Dranzer blade. A small smile graced his lips as he realized she was still spinning. He had won.

Reaching into the dish, Kai carefully picked up his scratched and beaten beyblade. He stared at the bitchip that resided in the middle. It was scratched and little chips could be seen around the edge. Kai thanked the powers that be that Dranzer was okay and not too badly damaged. He could still feel her warm presence inside his heart and smiled slightly.

His smile soon turned into a grimace of pain as his brain finally registered the fact that he was hurt, exhausted and was in need of a long rest.

Closing his eyes for a second, he relived the last moments of the battle, until a loud screech interrupted his thoughts and forced his eyes open against his will to see what was going on.

On the other side of the beydish sat Brooklyn, his head gripped between his shaking, pale hands. He was screaming in defeat, a piercing screech that almost made Kai winch with the raw emotions in it.

"I never get beaten! What happened!?" Brooklyn screwed his eyes shut against the torment. He continued to yell until a cold silence overcame him and he looked up and locked gaze with his number on enemy: Kai Hiwatari.

"You…" he glowered. "You destroyed me!" With that, the enraged redheaded teen lunged across the dish at the stoic slate-haired teen.

"Brooklyn," spoke a calm, collected voice. Kai whipped around – as fast as his exhausted body would allow – and gasped at the person standing behind him.

Grey hair was trimmed and styled to perfection. It framed an aging face, but was pulled away from a pair of heartless grey eyes.

"Voltaire…" growled Kai, his voice low and menacing. He couldn't even _think_ of the man as his grandfather anymore. He had hurt him too many times in the past and Kai didn't even think of him as family anymore.

"Kai," sneered the old man. "How nice of you to remember me."

Kai glared at him and turned away, walking past him and brushing hard against his shoulder. A hand closed on his arm and Kai turned back.

"Let…go…of…me…" he said slowly and dangerously. "Now."

The old man laughed and averted his gaze to the trembling teen on the other side of the beydish. Not letting go of Kai's arm, he led him around to where Brooklyn was kneeling on the ground.

"Get up," he spoke forcefully. Brooklyn did as he was told and stared around himself with unseeing eyes. Kai almost felt sorry for the boy. He had been so accustomed to winning, that a defeat this bad had shattered his soul.

Kai knew that Brooklyn had what many people were calling a 'natural talent.' Kai believed that it was true as he had just witnessed it first hand. Brooklyn was an amazing beyblader, but he had never had to train to get the way he was. Kai, on the other hand, had worked and worked to get to the strength that he had achieved now. Years and years of practice had got him to the same level Brooklyn had got to by sitting on his ass and doing nothing. It infuriated him.

The crowd was still as silent as a dead mouse and Kai started to seriously wonder what his _grandfather_ was up to.

That was when his supposed _team_ started to intervene.

"Hey! Leave him alone! Hey, gramps!"

Kai's eyes widened as Tyson called his grandfather _gramps_.

_Oh, he is so not going to like that._

As he had predicted, Voltaire's head whipped around at the sound of the word, his eyes cold, hard and hatred filling their icy depths. "What did you say, _boy?_"

"I said…" repeated the loud mouthed bluenette. "I said for you to leave him alone! He doesn't like you anymore, so just get away from him!"

Kai winced, as Voltaire's grip got tighter on his arm. He tried to pull his arm free of his grasp, but he was too exhausted to put up a good enough fight. Blood still ran from his wounds and he knew that if he didn't get some form of medical help soon, he was going to collapse. Already, he cold feel the world swaying and turning in front of his eyes.

Voices were shouting out to him as his vision wavered in and out of focus. He could vaguely hear the crowd roaring again. This time it was different though.

_They sound distressed. I wonder what's wrong. Dranzer…_

Kai's last thought raced through his mind before his body gave out and collapsed onto the cold, steel flooring of the stage.

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Bryan watched from the stands as Kai collapsed in a heap on the stage. Blood flowed from numerous cuts all over his body and he wondered if Kai was really okay. The last few seconds before he had collapsed, Kai had started wavering slightly on his feet, only held up by his grandfather's grip. When he had fallen, Bryan had watched as Voltaire instantly let go of Kai's arm as his grandson crumpled to the ground.

_Some grandfather you are._

Seated in the stands next to him were Ian and Spencer. Their faces were pale, expressions grim. None of them had ever known Kai to collapse so openly in front of so many people. That was how they knew it was bad.

The crowds of people around them were screaming. Some were screaming in delight that Kai had won, not realizing the severity of the situation. Others were screaming for someone to get medical help for the Russian teen.

Bryan motioned for the other two Russians to follow him and they all leapt out of their seats and into the aisle. Heart pounding, Bryan raced to get help for his unconscious friend. He was desperately hoping that they wouldn't be too late.

_Come on, Kai. Just hang on a little longer. Help's just about on its way. Hang on…_

Racing down the corridors to where the paramedics were located, Bryan couldn't seem to think of anything but bad things happening to Kai. Many scenarios ran through his distressed mind.

_They were too late and Kai died. _

_Medics arrived but couldn't help the boy._

_Kai was safely taken to hospital, but died later._

_He met a similar fate to their red headed Captain in hospital, in a coma._

_Ended up behind mentally all right, but his body was paralyzed. _

They were a few of the scenarios playing through his head as he told the medics what happened. Frantically, they began to race around getting supplies and other things they would need to attend to the fallen blader.

Kai's slate hair was obscuring his crimson eyes from view as he lay on the stage beside the dish. Bryan watched the paramedics came rushing out of the tunnel behind him, fanning out to reach the boy and tend to him. Many of their sentences escaped his hearing, but Bryan heard snippets of their conversations.

"…needs blood!"

"…his pulse is dropping!"

"…commence CPR! His heart rate needs to rise!"

"…come on, kid! Hold on!"

Bryan felt his pulse start to race as their words reached his ears. From the sounds of, Kai wasn't doing so well.

_Hiwatari, you better bloody live! Or Tala's gonna kill you when he wakes up!_

As the lilac haired Russian stepped out into the large arena, he realized that the crowd had stopped their screaming and yelling. Instead an eerie silence had filled the air. Everyone was on their feet, waiting in anticipation to see if Kai was going to be alright. The paramedics' voices seemed to be twice as loud in the stadium, as they were the only people making any kind of noise.

Bryan held his breath as he saw Kai being lifted up onto a stretcher carried by two male paramedics. Three other doctors walked beside the stretcher as Kai was carried away, holding various medical equipment that were attached to the unconscious Russian blader.

As he caught a glimpse of Kai's pale face, Bryan gave a small gasp. His friend's face was _white_. His eyes were closed and an oxygen mask had been placed over his face, giving the stoic teen much needed oxygen. Many different needles were inserted into his arms to give him the fluids he needed. In all, he looked a mess.

"Kai…" He whispered, his voice barely audible above the paramedics' shouting. "Please…please, you _have_ to be alright…"

The Russian closed his eyes and fought to stop tears from falling. A quiet voice broke through the shouting and everyone within earshot whipped around at the weak voice.

"I'll try my hardest, Bry. Tell everyone, I'll try…" The voice faded into silence as the boy lost consciousness.

Bryan nodded at Kai's request. Wiping his sweaty face, he took a shuddering breath and watched as Kai was transported outside to where a rescue helicopter was located, and would take him to the nearest hospital that could offer the services that was needed to keep him alive.

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Kai watched as the world spun in dizzying circles. Then the entire colour spectrum dissolved into each other and turned a midnight black. Kai couldn't see anything. He could feel different things being injected into his prone body and people pressing down ion bleeding wounds, but he couldn't see them doing it.

He was aware of everything around him, including sound, except for sight. A presence made itself known in his mind and Kai inwardly sighed with relief.

_Dranzer…_

_:Hello, Master. How are you feeling?:_

_Just peachy, Dranz. Just peachy._

_:Master, you have to pull through. You know that right?:_

Kai groaned. _I Know Dranzer. You're not the first person to tell me that. _

_:Then you must know who important it is:_ stated the ancient beast.

Kai rolled his eyes at his friend's words. _Like I said before, Dranzer; I know alre-_

Kai's sentence was cut short and Dranzer got worried. _:Kai? Master? What's happening? KAI!:_

There was no response from the slate-haired teen.

_:KAI!!!:_

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Voltaire laughed as his grandson was carried away on a stretcher, his friends calling out, worried. He could see the fear in their eyes as his disobedient grandson was strapped in and an oxygen mask placed over his mouth.

The Russian CEO of BioVolt smirked and motioned for some of his 'employees' to come over.

"I don't want my treacherous grandson to make it out of that helicopter alive. You hear me?"

The response was all the same. "Yes Sir!"

Voltaire laughed again, his voice deep and powering. There were police surrounding the BEGA stadium, but they had no evidence of any crimes he had committed so he was free to leave as he pleased. In any case, most of them were working for him anyway.

"Boris," he spoke to a purple haired man standing beside him. "I want you to oversee this little 'accident' please."

Boris Balkov answered with a sneer. "Of course, Voltaire. It will be my pleasure."

The elderly Russian's crimson eyes sparkled with malice as he watched his second-in-command waltz off to plan his grandson's unfortunate demise.

"Kai, you are going to pay for what you have done to me. You will never escape my clutches. Never."

Smiling to himself, Voltaire walked down from the stage that held the beydish and quietly slipped out the back of the stadium. The smile never left his face and it widened as he heard the familiar sound of helicopter rotors starting to wind up and slice through the air. A few minutes later, he saw a small red shape lift up from the roof of the stadium.

"Just remember, Kai," he whispered. "You're mine…"

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Dr. Amaralli stared down at the pale boy in front of him. He was hooked up to a heart monitor, respirator and a drip, which would give him the fluids and nutrition that was needed to live. The sound of the helicopters blades slicing through the air was loud and he had to wear earplugs to cover the sound. His earplugs were also headphones and were hooked up to Kai's heart monitor so that he could hear the hopefully steady _beat beat beat_ of the boy's heart.

So far, his heart was beating in a slightly steady rhythm. It was nothing to get too worried about, considering what he had been through.

Clutched in the slate-haired boy's hand was a small, round object. It was a royal blue with splashes of green and red; Kai's beyblade. In the center of the blade was a round chip that a picture of a bright phoenix resided. The chip had begun to glow constantly ever since the helicopter had taken off and the doctor was slightly worried and it was showing on his face.

Another doctor turned to him, speaking through the headphone speaker system.

"What's up, Ollie? You look worried?"

Dr. Ollie Amaralli sighed at his colleague's concern. "I am worried, Jeff. It's that kid's blade. It's glowing and I have a feeling that something's not right."

"What do you mean? Ollie?"

"My ten-year-old kid has a beyblade. He loves it to bits. He also has one of these 'Bitbeasts' that everyone says is 'cool'. Apparently, the 'beasts open a mind link with their supposed 'Master' and looks after them." He took a deep breath, looked at his friend's expression and carried on talking. "Well, this kid's blade has been glowing ever since we took off. He's stabilized since then, but the bloody thing wont stop glowing. Obviously something's not right."

Ollie saw Jeff frown and then nod his head. "Yeah I know what you mean now. My kid's also got one of those Bitbeasts. Some kind of 'water spirit.' He gets so angry when I call it a fish…"

Ollie laughed. His smile quickly disappeared as Kai began to cough and gasp for breath. The coughing soon turned into choking and everyone on board the helicopter was in motion once again.

"Fix that dam oxygen machine!" Dr. Amaralli yelled to the others. "He needs air, now!"

He glanced at Kai's left hand and was surprised to see that the whole blue blade was glowing a bright red. "What the fuck?"

Everyone turned at his words. Their expressions turned into ones of shock as a loud screeching sound filled the 'copter. Soon, a magnificent bird rose from the blue object. Red, orange and gold flames seemed to rise from the bird.

"Oh…my…god."

The doctors in the helicopter were so entranced with the majestic firebird that they hadn't realized that the bluenette had suddenly stopped breathing, his chest still.

_:Master!: _screeched the bird. All occupants shielded their ears at the sudden loud sound. The bird bowed its head to the still boy and nudged his face with its beak. When nothing happened, everyone stopped still. He wasn't breathing…

"Move!" came the loud command from the head doctor; Dr. Timothy. "Get him breathing!"

Ollie rushed over to him and tried to push the firebird away from the boy. The bird didn't budge, so Ollie tried talking to it. "Please, you have to move. We _need_ to get to him. If we don't, he _will_ die."

At those words the bird moved away from him and Ollie was able to place a hand on Kai's neck, feeling for a pulse. He found one. It was weak, but steady.

"Thank god, "He whispered to himself. To the others he said: "He's got a pulse!"

Working somewhat urgently, they managed to get him breathing again. Just as they sat down again, pleased with their work, a large jolt rocked the helicopter. The firebird screeched again and flew out the window. Ollie covered his head with his hands as the helicopter jolted again, this time more forcefully.

"What's happening?" he yelled to the pilots.

Their answer chilled him to the bone. "We're being attacked! Don't know what yet…Hold on!"

Dr. Amaralli leapt forward and tried his hardest to protect the unconscious teen from sustaining any more injuries as the helicopter started to spiral out of control.

Just as the spinning got too much for him, Ollie heard a piercing scream and saw the golden bird take a hit and start to plummet to the ground. His eyes widened and watched as a deadly looking missile headed straight for them, now that their protector was gone.

"Oh…god…" Then it went black.

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Rei stood outside the stadium with the rest of G Revolution. Every other team that had come to watch was standing with them as well.

He looked over and saw three very worried Blitzkrieg Boys. Their faces were pale and they were talking hurriedly between the three of them in Russian. Rei could only guess as to what they were talking about.

_Probably Kai…_

Rei's thoughts wandered to his captain. The last they had seen him was when he was being airlifted to a hospital. So far, they still didn't know what hospital.

Everyone stopped talking as the head of the BBA walked over to the teams. He stopped when he reached G Revolution and Rei felt his stomach sink. Mr. Dickenson was there to deliver some form of bad news.

"I'm sorry, boys. I have bad news." He took a deep breath and Rei looked up at the elder man with piercing amber eyes.

"I have received news that the helicopter carrying Kai has disappeared from radar and we are receiving no reply from the pilots."

There was a big gasp from the crowd of beybladers at the news.

_No, he cant be…no!_

"Rescue teams have been dispatched along the helicopter's route, but so far, nothing has been found. I'm sorry."

Rei watched as the Blitzkrieg Boys slumped somewhat. Their faces were still impassive, but he knew, that on the inside they were worried. Worried for their friend and ex-captain.

_Kai…_

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Somewhere in an unknown location, a certain blue haired blader shifted in his unconscious state. Blood matted his hair and ran down over his closed eyes and stained his pale face. No movement came from any of the people lying around him. He was alone…

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**The end of the first chapter! Please tell me what you think! **

**I'll try to update ASAP as I am now on school holidays! - Although, I think I'm substituting school for work…I'm working every day… :( **

**Anyways, see yaz all later!**

**Have fun, stay safe!**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_


	2. Searching

**Hay there everyone! Thank you sooo much to all of you that reviewed!!!! Hope you like!**

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A special thanks to…

Ethereal Flower – First reviewer! gives cookies your review made me all happy inside! Thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter!

kailover2006 – Thanks for the review! Glad you liked! Hope you enjoy this chappie!

Nameless Little Girl – I'm sooo glad you LOVED it! Thanks for the review! So many reviews! Thank you!

XxSweet MitsukaixX – Longest review! YAY! throws cookie to you Thanks for your kind words, they mean a lot. Hope this chapter gets your heart pounding just as much as the last one!

d1bontemp – Interesting name!…Anyway, glad you liked! You even wrote 'wow' in capitals! Thanks for reviewing, hope you like this chapter.

kavjb – WOW, another interesting name! Where do all of you come up with these? I want one! stamps foot on ground, grinning thanks for the review. Hopefully you aren't going to need medical attention!

Elemental Gypsy – Thanks for the review! Sorry, but Kai isn't in this chapter very much…for very good reason…hope you like the chapter!

NightWhisper01 – Grrrr…getting very annoyed here…what's with all the cool names!!! Thanks for the review! And…I have updated! YAY! Hope you like!

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**Sorry if I seem a little hyper. It's 11.30 and I've just been drinking lemonade and eating Moro bars (if anyone has never tried a Moro bar, I recommend it! They're soooo good!) **

**Anyways, I wont keep you in suspense any longer! On with the fic! **

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**_DancerInTheDark101 _**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**Chapter 1: Searching**

Voltaire smirked as the news of the helicopter's disappearance made the nighttime news. His crimson eyes flashed with amusement and he switched off the TV just as the newsreader was stating the discoveries that had been made. He didn't need to hear what happened, he already knew.

"Voltaire, Sir," spoke a confident voice from behind him. The grey haired man turned in his seat and nodded for the man to come in.

The man bowed and straightened up, his cold eyes resting on Voltaire's. "I have received news about your grandson, Sir."

Voltaire frowned. "What is it?"

"Some people have discovered the sight where the helicopter went down. They are now investigating the ruins. So far, nothing has been said about any survivors."

Clenching his fists, Voltaire growled. His eyes narrowed into slits and his blood red orbs lit with an inner fire of fury.

_Damn you, Kai! You should be dead…_

"Sir?"

Voltaire snapped out of his reverie. He turned his head slightly and nodded for the man to continue.

"What should I tell the press, Sir? Should I inform anyone of anything?"

Voltaire growled deep in his throat. "No," he stated. "You must not tell _anyone_ of this incident. Kai _is_ dead and he will remain that way." The last words were spoken with such finality that the man stepped back, aghast.

"Yes, Sir." With a small bow, he left the room. But not before Voltaire noticed the concern and despair on his face.

Reaching over he pressed a button on his mahogany desk and spoke into a small microphone. "Frank, I want you to make sure that Harry does not leave this building alive, okay? Good. I would prefer if he actually _never_ left this building. Thank you. Now get to it!"

Sighing, the Russian businessman leant back in his chair. He rubbed his face with his hands and stared at a silver photo frame on his desk. A picture of a thirteen-year-old Kai was placed inside the frame. He was smiling slightly and part of a pale arm was draped across his shoulder. Voltaire knew that the arm belonged to his grandson's best friend, Tala.

He gazed at the photo and wished that his grandson had turned out differently.

_Why couldn't you have turned out more like me? Why did you have to have so many of your father's genes in you? You have paid with your life, Kai. Now I must deal to your little friend. _

The corners of his lips lifted in an evil smirk and Voltaire laughed. Kai was gone and nothing in the world could stop him from achieving his goals now. Not even a certain redhead.

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A quiet wind whipped across the bare landscape as the smoldering ruins of the helicopter lay cooling on the ground. The only noise in the air was the crackle of the bright red flames and the occasional moan from an injured or dying person. None of the former helicopter occupants were awake and there was a lot of crimson blood staining the ground.

A blue haired teen lay a fair distance away from the crash site. His hair was limp and had fallen into his closed eyes. Blood ran from numerous cuts to his face and through all the blood, his face was deathly white.

Machinery was crushed and broken beside his prone body. Some of the machines were surprisingly still attached to the unconscious teen. His breathing was ragged and wet sounding. Something was obviously wrong with his lungs. The bluenette's clothes were ripped and his pale flesh could be seen through the tears. Angry, raw burns coated his arms and part of his chest and stomach. They were bright red and were seeping a clear fluid.

In the teen's outstretched hand lay a blue object. It was smoldering like the rest of the wreckage and large portions of metal had been ripped from it in the crash. His fingers were wrapped protectively around the round object.

A few meters away from the slate-haired blader lay a few other people. Most were dead, but a small number of them were still alive, barely.

A man in a white coat groaned as he regained consciousness. His eyes flickered open slowly and through blurry eyesight, surveyed the damage around him. His breathing was shallow and he gasped as a pain shot through his chest.

Clutching his chest, the man sat up slowly. Shaking, he looked about himself and spotted the blue haired boy.

"No…" he whispered, his voice hoarse from lack of use.

Crawling – not using his right wrist, he scrambled over to the boy. He placed a bloodied hand on the boy's neck and felt for a pulse. There was a slight _beat_ from beneath the skin and he sighed in relief. He was alive. The man closed his eyes as a wave of pain assaulted his battered body.

Assessing the damage, he concluded that he – himself - had a fractured maybe even broken wrist, internal bleeding from a collapsed lung, several deep lacerations on his arms legs and chest, a slight concussion and a twisted ankle.

As he finished assessing himself, he turned his trained eye to the boy lying in front of him. Leaning closer to the teen, he heard wet ragged breaths coming from his lungs. It wasn't a good sign. He placed his good hand on his chest and felt the restriction when his chest rose and fell with his breaths.

Dr. Ollie Amaralli studied the boy's broken and battered body as if he was a patient in the hospital. Blood covered his lower abdomen and Ollie cautiously lifted the boy's t-shirt and gasped. There was a large piece of metal lodged deeply into his stomach. The silver debris was coated in slick, red blood.

His pale hand flew over the body, making mental notes of all the damage. It was the Russian teen's chest and breathing that worried him the most. He peered at the white face and was startled to see bright red blood beginning to seep out between a pair of bluish lips.

"Come on, kid," he whispered hoarsely. Prying the lips open, he realised that the blood had just come a split lip, rather than blood from his lungs. Sighing in relief, Dr. Amaralli relaxed slightly. His mind began to wander and soon questions were being bounced back and forth in his head.

_Why were we shot down? Where the hell did a _missile_ come from? Where the hell are we? Are we even going to survive? _

As the thoughts circled around each other, Dr. Amaralli slumped back against a piece of debris. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes, finally succumbing to the pain and exhaustion that was slowly setting in. He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn't see a pair of glazed crimson eyes open slowly and peer around at the wreckage.

Ollie came awake with a start. The sun was beating down in his sore shoulders and he winced as a headache made itself known. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he slowly gazed over to where Kai was laying. Only, when his eyesight reached the place where the stoic teen had been laying, he wasn't there.

Shocked, Ollie sat up quickly. Pain lanced through him, but he ignored it and looked around for the injured boy.

"Kai!" he yelled out in the loudest voice he could manage. His voice was husky, but it carried well. Standing up, he soon saw a shock of blue hair and stumbled over to where it was.

"Kai…" he breathed, sympathy lacing his voice. The teen didn't respond. Ollie could still see most of the injuries he had sustained during his battle with the teen named Brooklyn.

After a few minutes of complete silence, Ollie was greeted with a groan from the unconscious blader. Crimson eyes slowly opened, almost against Kai's will and peered through the sunlight.

"Wh-who are y-you?" stammered the blinking teen. Fear laced his voice, fear of the unknown person kneeling before him. "H-how did I g-get here?"

"My name is Dr. Ollie Amaralli," he spoke. Rubbing his broken wrist absentmindedly, Dr. Amaralli shushed the bluenette as he tried to speak again. "You're hurt. Don't try anything too strenuous. It could damage your body even more. Okay?"

**_

* * *

_**

Kai nodded. His body was numb. He couldn't feel any pain. He realised he could still move his limbs so he guessed that he was in shock. Confused of what had happened, Kai opened his mouth to say something to the doctor but was stopped as he hushed him. He _had_ to ask one question though.

His voice came out weak and trembling. "Where's…Dranzer?"

The doctor looked confused and Kai added in a whisper: "The phoenix…" When the doctor looked even more confused, Kai sighed. He immediately regretted it when a burning pain flashed through his chest and stomach.

"The bird…the fire bird…" Trailing off as talking got too hard; Kai shot the doctor a look that said 'you must know what I'm talking about now'.

Groaning, Kai thought about his friends, who would no doubt be worrying by now. He had no confusion as to who had made the helicopter come down. Dranzer had told him everything that had happened whilst he was unconscious.

Kai grimaced as he tried to sit up and a hand flew to his stomach as it felt like it was being ripped to shreds. He screamed, his voice carrying, as it was the only thing making any noise.

He felt a hand on his chest trying to push him back down onto the grassy ground. His lips trembled and he bit down hard on his bottom lip to stop himself from crying out in pain.

"Take it easy, Kai. Please. You're very badly injured. There is a metal piece of debris lodged in your stomach."

Kai's eyes widened fractionally at that piece of news. He sluggishly pulled up his top to reveal the glistening piece of metal coated in his blood. Breathing deeply, he gripped the piece of metal and pulled it out. A sickening slurping sound emitted from his stomach as his dried blood pulled and broke free from the foreign object lodged in his flesh.

Blood began to immediately gush out of the now open wound. Placing a hand on the wound, Kai applied pressure and tiredly tried to stop the bleeding. He knew he was getting sluggish from blood loss, but the longer that piece of metal had stayed in, the more likely he was to get an infection.

Cursing and rustling sounds reached his ears as Kai lay, bleeding. He opened his eyes to see the doctor frantically rushing around trying to find something to help stop the bleeding. He was hobbling and favouring his left ankle.

"Hey…" Kai whispered, unable to speak any louder. He cursed himself for being so weak when there were others that needed help.

The doctor turned sharply at his words. He stumbled and almost fell but managed to grab hold of a rotor blade that was sticking up out of the ground.

He covered his racing heart with his left hand and visibly slumped. "Oh, it's only you." He rubbed his hand behind his head sheepishly. "You gave me quite the fright there."

"Hn."

Kai watched the doctor roll his eyes at his behaviour and went back to rummaging through some wreckage.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. Kai frowned and saw the doctor return with a large pressure bandage in his hand. He then proceeded to lift Kai.

Kai winced as the pain came back ten times worse than before. He gripped the doctor's hand for dear life as he wrapped the bandage around his mid-section.

"There. All done."

Kai smiled slightly. The doctor was obviously in some amount of pain and he mentally thanked the doctor.

"You're welcome."

Kai was startled out of his reverie. "What?" he asked.

"You said thank you. It's normal to say 'you're welcome' after someone says 'thank you'."

He hadn't even realised that he had said it aloud. "Oh."

A smile was his reply. Kai couldn't help wondering where they were and what they were going to do now. Apparently the doctor – Dr. Ollie Amaralli – had checked who else had survived the crash whilst he had been sleeping and found no one else alive. However, he found that one of the pilots was missing.

**_

* * *

_**

**(A/N: Tala is in a coma. He got hurt in his battle with…either Brooklyn or Garland, I cant remember which…and is now in hospital in a coma because of his injuries) **

Tala shifted in his sleep, his ice blue eyes hidden beneath long lashes. His mind drifted over past experiences, memories and people. Wolborg was constantly pressing on his mind, urging the red haired Russian to wake up. Tala ignored his faithful companion and kept on sleeping.

One person came to his mind as his body refused to wake up. Kai…

_flashback _

_"Kai!" squealed a little red haired boy. His blue eyes were shining with delight at the prospect of seeing his best friend again. _

_"Mummy! Kai's coming over! Mummy!" _

_A tall, red haired woman walked into the room as her four-year-old son jumped up and down on his bed. "Tala, calm down, honey," she spoke, her words soft and warm. "I know he's coming." _

_The woman motioned for Tala to get off his bed. "Come on, honey. Let's go get something ready for lunch so that Kai will have something to eat when he gets here." _

_The boy squealed again and raced after his mother, who was walking down the hallway. "Mummy! Wait up!" _

_They reached the bottom of the stairs when a knock was heard. Tala's eyes widened in excitement and he raced to the front door and whipped it open. _

_"KAI!" _

_The slate haired boy standing in front of him grinned and gripped the red haired Russian boy in a hug. _

_"I missed you, Tala!" _

_"Me too!" There was a slight pause in their conversation as they let go of each other. "Wanna go play?" _

_"Yeah!" smiled the blue haired boy, Kai. _

_As the two young boys ran off to play in the backyard, the woman smiled sadly, her eyes showing despair and sadness. _

_"Please," she whispered to herself. "Please, boys. Whatever you do, please stay the way you are now. Whatever happens, please remember this day…" Tears streaking from blue eyes, she turned back into the kitchen and began to make some sandwiches for the boys. _

_end flashback _

The memory was like a nightmare to Tala. It's happiness and joy weighing heavily against his shoulders. He couldn't laugh the way he used to when he was younger, he just couldn't find the energy or motivation to be happy any more. He had seen too many horrors of the world to ever think of it as a good place.

Tala could smile occasionally, but only in front of Kai, Bryan, Ian or Spencer. They were all the same. Tala knew that Kai sometimes smiled at his other teammates, the BladeBreakers, but it was rare and was mostly a smirk rather than a smile.

In the comatose state he was in, Tala's mind kept replaying scenes from his past. He shuddered as the bad ones made it through his barrier.

_flashback _

_"Mummy, NO!" screamed a small child, his voice high-pitched and scared. "Mummy! Come back!" The same small child raced from his hiding place to where his mother had fallen, her fiery red hair splayed about her pale face. The woman's eyes were closed, her true eye colour hidden. _

_"Mummy?" questioned the small boy as he reached out a hand and stroked his mother's hair. "Wake up…" _

_When nothing happened, the boy started to cry. Small crystalline tears snaked their way down his face. His mall hands clenched into fists as he realised his mother wasn't coming back. He couldn't see any blood, so naturally he was confused. _

_Sniffing, the boy pouted his bottom lip out as he heard the front door open with a click. A deep voice boomed through the house. "Daddy!" screamed the boy as he rushed from his placed on the floor by his mother. "Daddy! Mummy wont get up!" _

_As the boy raced to meet his father, he banged into a solid object and glanced up to see his father towering above him, concern in his deep blue eyes. "Tala? What's wrong?" _

_"Mummy," Grabbing onto his father's pants, Tala led his father into the sitting room where his mother was laying. "Mummy wont get up…" _

_The tall man walked over to the fallen woman. "Honey?" the man spoke, his voice laced with concern. "Mikalya? Honey?" _

_The little child saw his father getting worked up over the fact that his mummy wouldn't get up and started to cry, his small frame shuddering with every sob. "Mu…mmy…" he cried between sniffing. _

_Tala felt himself being picked up and taken somewhere. He opened his blue eyes as he felt the cold Russian wind on his face. "Daddy? Where are we going?" _

_"We're leaving, Tala." _

_"NO!" screamed the small red haired boy. "What about Mummy? MUMMY!" _

_"Mummy?" came a quiet voice from the bushes beside the two-car garage. Both the Russians – big and small- turned at the weak voice. Tala seemed to recognize the voice from somewhere. He cocked his head to the side and thought about it. The answer came to him after a few seconds. _

_"……KAI!" _

_At the sound of the Russian's statement, a small blue haired boy emerged from the bushes. There was dried blood on his face and through his slate hair. _

_"Mummy?" he whispered again. _

_The boy's red eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. At the sight of his friend's dad, he finally let them go. They trailed down his cheeks, mingling with the drying blood. "Mummy wont wake up…" he sniffed. _

_end flashback _

The three boys sitting in the hospital room with Tala saw the tears escape the closed eyes of their friend. They too, felt like crying. Their captain was in a coma and Kai was missing, presumed dead. The day had started off well, with Kai winning his match against Brooklyn, but then it had gone downhill from there onwards.

Bryan turned to the other two Russians. "Do you think they're gonna be alright?" He didn't state _who_ the two were, as he knew that Ian and Spencer would know whom he was talking about. The burl blonde answered his question.

"Bryan…" he sighed. "You've got to stop worrying. Tala's strong and so is Kai-"

Bryan cut the blonde haired Russian off. "Spencer! Did you even _see_ Kai as he was being lifted into the helicopter? He _was barely breathing!_"

"Calm down, Bry."

Bryan glared at his teammate. "I will NOT calm down! Not whilst Kai is missing! Goddamn it, Spencer, he nearly died today! He still could be dead right now!"

"I know, Bry. However, we can't do anything at the moment. We just cant."

The knowledge hit Bryan like a ton of bricks, and he slumped in his seat next to his captain's bed.

"Come on, Kai," he whispered to himself and the unconscious teen next to him. "You have to be okay…you just have to."

**_

* * *

_**

Rei was sitting in a chair in their hotel room. His mind was going in dizzying circles, trying to figure out what the hell they could do. It had been hours since Mr. Dickenson had told them that Kai had gone missing, that the helicopter that was transporting him to a hospital had lost contact with them.

"Rei! Rei!" Rei was snapped out of his thoughts by Tyson, who was jumping up and down in front of him, a huge smile on his face. "Come on, Rei!"

Rei frowned. "Tyson? What-?"

"They found the crash site!" exclaimed the Japanese blader. They found Kai's helicopter!"

Rei smiled, but then a sense of anguish washed over him. They had found the _crash site_. Kai's helicopter had _crashed_. "No…"

The team turned to look at him, frowns creasing their faces. "Rei?"

"Guys, did you even realize what you just said to me?" There was shaking of heads. Rei continued. "You said that they had found the _crash site_. Kai's helicopter _crashed_."

The smiles immediately faded, replaced by shock and worry. They all turned to the TV as the news came on.

_"…And in the latest news about the missing helicopter carrying the captain of the world famous G Revolution beyblading team; Kai Hiwatari…" _

_"…Search and Rescue have found the site where the helicopter has allegedly crashed. Smoke had been seen by some locals of a nearby town and reported it. Police have been out and searched through the wreckage, but so far, no survivors have been found. Kai Hiwatari's body has not been recovered either…" _

_"…There are many people that were known to have been on board that are supposedly missing. These people are missing, but do not jump to conclusions that they are alive, just because their bodies have not been recovered. This is the list of the missing…" _

_"…Kai Hiwatari, male, aged sixteen, on board helicopter being taken to hospital for treatment; Dr. Ollie Amaralli, male, aged thirty-seven, doctor treating Kai Hiwatari; Steve Hamilton, male, aged thirty, pilot flying helicopter; Iris Johansson, female, aged twenty-five; nurse helping out the doctors attending to Kai…" _

_"…All of the others on board the helicopter have been found and confirmed dead. Michael James, Kale Strawbridge, Linetta Quay, Robby Smith, Harry Kuvenski, Olga Trans-Verity and Daniel Watson…" _

_"…Next on the news, we have……" _

Rei averted his gaze from the TV. Only four people were confirmed missing; Kai, a doctor and one of the pilots. The rest were dead. Rei felt sick. Seven people were dead and four were missing. Most were doctors or nurses, just doing their job, trying to save people – well in this case a person. Rei wondered why the helicopter went down. Was it mechanical failure? Pilot error? Sabotage? Murder?

Rei didn't even want to think of the last option, but he knew it was a possibility. He knew that Kai had just foiled his grandfather's plans to rule the BBA, along with his second-in-command, Boris. He knew that they would want revenge against Kai, and they would do anything – including murder – to get revenge.

Kai was in grave danger and Rei just wished that he knew if he was okay, and if he was even still alive. Kai may have been cold hearted, but he cared for them in his own weird way.

"Guys…" The remaining members of G Revolution turned to him as he spoke. "We need to find Kai. He needs us." They all nodded and Rei felt relieved. At least they wanted to help. "I think we should go talk to the Blitzkrieg Boys. Maybe they know something about Voltaire and Boris that we could use to find Kai." Once again, they all nodded. Smiling slightly, Rei walked past them and out of the hotel room. Moments later they were all in a taxi on their way to the hospital where Tala and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys were.

Silence followed them from the taxi as G Revolution made their way through the hospital to the third floor. Room 145 loomed ahead and Rei thought about what they were going to ask the cold, Russian bladers.

Swallowing, the Nekojin knocked on the door. Seconds later it opened and a blonde head poked out. The emotionless face transformed in a second, a low growl coming from his throat. "What the hell do _you_ want?"

"We just want to talk," Rei spoke calmly, his amber eyes trying to peer through the crack of the open door.

"About?" Asked the Russian teen.

"Kai."

With that one word, the door was opened fully and they were ushered into the room.

Rei watched as Bryan and Ian jumped out of their seats as they walked in. Their expressions showed nothing but hatred and anger towards the team that had just arrived. Luckily, Spencer managed to calm them down before anything major happened. Rei was thankful for the blonde.

"Look," He eyed the bed where the captain of the Russian team, lay, unconscious. "We just wanna talk. We want to find Kai. To do that, we need to know more about Voltaire and Boris. Please…"

"Fine," snarled the one Rei remembered as Bryan. The one who had tried to kill him a few years back. "We'll tell you, but only because you want to find Kai."

Rei nodded, his gratitude showing. Maybe they would find Kai after all…

**_

* * *

_**

Meanwhile, four people were huddled together, their bodies shivering against the cold. One of them was unconscious, his wounds severe.

"We need to find a way to get help for him," spoke a tall brunette. "I know I'm not a doctor, but he doesn't look so good."

"I know," whispered the other male. The only female of the group stayed quiet, her face downcast. She was staring at the unconscious teen lying at her feet.

"Kai is in a serious condition. His windpipe was damaged in the crash and he can't breathe properly. He needs a respirator. What he needs – what we all need – is a hospital, and soon." He glanced down at the boy. "Just hang on, Kai. Hang on."

**

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**End! **

**Wow, over 4000 words!!! **

**Hope you all liked! I will try to get next chapter up ASAP, but I cant guarantee anything. **

**Please review! I got eight reviews last chapter! YAY! **

**Have fun, stay safe **

**_DancerInTheDark101 _**


	3. Memories

**THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO ****DESTINY QUILL****, KAVBJ, ETHEREAL FLOWER, KAILOVER2006, NAMELESS LITTLE GIRL, ELEMENTAL GYPSY, ****D1BONTEMP AND CAILANY…**

…**AND TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE.**

**Authors Note: I am extremely sorry to kavjb! I miss spelt your name last time! So sorry!!!**

**Hay there! Next chapter's up! Sorry it took so long, so hopefully the length makes up for it. It's about eleven pages!!**

**Before you start reading, I would like to thank some reviewers!**

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A special thanks to…

Destiny Quill – thank you for the really long reviews! They were filled with lovely comments and made me over the moon! (just an expression by the way…) thank you so much and I have decided to dedicate this chapter to you! gives Destiny Quill cookies

kavbj – thanks for the review! I try and make the Blitzkrieg Boys as real as possible – actually, I try that with everyone…hehe. There isn't a lot of the B-Boys in this chapter. Sorry! Hope you enjoy…

Ethereal Flower – I'm glad you liked! Hehe. Thanks for the awesome review. I'm sorry it took so long to update…but it's here now! Enjoy!

d1bontemp – thanks for the review! The next chapter has officially landed! Enjoy…

Cailany – thank you for the review! Here is the next chapter. It took a while to update, but it's eleven pages! Hope you enjoy!

kailover2006 – the next chapter has arrived! Thanks for the review…enjoy!

Nameless Little Girl – I'm glad you loved it! Hopefully you will love this chapter just as much! Enjoy!

Elemental Gypsy – Kai _is_ one tough cookie ay! Sorry there's not much of the B-Boys in this chapter, but they will definitely be in the next one! Thanks for the review! In addition, there is a surprise in this chapter enjoy!

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**Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter! As you will know, I dedicated this chapter to those who reviewed last chapter. **

**Anyways, on with the fic!**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 3: Memories**

Night had fallen as Kai lay on the ground, his teeth clenched in pain. It had been hours since the helicopter had crashed and he had learnt that out of the eleven people on board – including himself – only four had survived. The doctor who had first treated him for the large piece of metal imbedded in his stomach was slowly, but surely, dying and Kai knew that if they didn't get help soon, the doctor would not be the only one to die.

Kai didn't think that the doctor would last the night. His breathing had degraded significantly over the hours and the nurse – Iris Johansson – had stated that the doctor had sustained a torn lung. Even Kai, in the state that he was in, knew that it was very bad.

"Kai?" Kai turned his head slightly to the left and saw the pilot – Steve – gazing at him.

"Yeah?" he managed to wheeze out. His chest hurt like hell and he knew that he had damaged something internally.

"You surviving down there, kid?"

Kai winced as he nodded. His head was pounding and he wished he had any kind of painkiller with him. Unfortunately, all the medical supplies had been destroyed in the crash. Even the machines he had been hooked up had stopped working a few hours after the crash.

The Russian teen needed to get to a hospital. He was struggling to stay awake most of the time and his eyes had lost focus more than once. Kai remembered losing focus at one point and Dr. Amaralli had peered into his eyes and stated that he had received a very bad hit to the head and it was affecting his vision.

"Dran…zer…"

The last thought that ran though the Russian blader's head was of his phoenix Bitbeast. Since she had deflected a missile aimed for the helicopter, Kai hadn't sensed his friend anywhere. It was as though she had just…disappeared.

"Please, don't be dead…"

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his slate hair fell forward, obscuring his closed crimson eyes. His head hit the ground with a soft thump and within seconds he was blissfully unconscious.

_**

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**_

Morning arrived sooner than Kai wanted it to. His eyes opened slowly as his brain started to process the fact that the birds were up and singing. He had enjoyed the blissful sleep that had embraced him for hours. He didn't want to wake up to the pain that he knew would accompany him awakening.

Kai moaned as his throat burned. He hadn't had enough fluids and his throat felt parched and dry. He was also having trouble breathing. Something had damaged his windpipe, he just didn't know what and how badly affected it was.

His crimson orbs flitted over to where the other three survivors were lying, their chests rising and falling in rhythm, showing that they were all sound asleep. Kai also saw that the doctor who had looked after him when he had just come to was not breathing at all. His heart doing little flips, Kai struggled up right and crawled over to the man. His placed a blood stained hand on the doctor's pale neck and felt for a pulse. He found nothing. Dr. Ollie Amaralli was dead.

Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, Kai tried to stop the few tears that threatened to fall. After a few agonising seconds, small crystalline drops escaped his tear ducts and trailed down his tattooed cheeks. Kai didn't even have the heart to wipe them away.

"I'm so sorry…"

The blue haired teen was glad that the doctor's eyes were closed as he didn't think he could have handled seeing the man – dead – with his eyes that were once so full alive, unseeing and glazed over.

Kai tried to compose himself. It wasn't the first time he had seen death. It was by far, not the first time. In fact, he had seen multiple deaths and dead people in his short life. But that didn't make seeing another lifeless corpse any easier. If anything, it made it harder, knowing that once again someone wouldn't be waking up again, no matter how hard you tried.

The thought of trying to wake the dead made his thoughts wander to his team, G Revolution. He wondered what they were doing at this point of time, if they were trying to find him, or if they were training or lounging around. His eyes widened as he realised that Tyson was going to have to face off against Brooklyn in a few days. Tyson didn't have the slightest chance of winning unless Kai some how found a way to contact him, or see him, and tell him what Brooklyn's weaknesses were. Tyson was going to get well and truly thrashed.

"God damn it!" Kai hissed, his voice still husky and broken.

_This can't be happening!_

Kai ran a hand through his unruly blue hair, feeling the clotting blood covering a deep gash on the back of head. Wincing, he probed further and found more, smaller cuts littering his head. He must have smacked his head fairly hard to accumulate all of the abrasions on his skull. It was surprising that he didn't have an extremely bad headache.

Looking upwards, staring at the blue colour that seemed to cover the sky like a blanket. He had always been confused as to why the sky was blue. He knew that outer space was black, so why did they look up to blue instead of black?

The Russian teen rubbed a hand over his face, confused as to why he couldn't think straight. Maybe the hit to his head had affected him more than he thought? In all honesty, Kai didn't know what to think anymore. In addition, the resident doctor was dead, so he couldn't ask him what the diagnosis was.

Sighing, he tried to think of something not so…depressing. But his confused brain couldn't seem to conjure up anything _but_ bad thoughts. Groaning, he grit his teeth together. He felt so hopeless! The bad thoughts were slowly starting to drown him and it was in a lake so cold that his muscles had forgotten how to work. He was going to drown if someone didn't save him soon.

Kai lay there, his body too sore to move. Hs crimson eyes were darting all over the place, not wanting to stay in place too long. He didn't want to see all of the blood and destruction of the helicopter. But, just once, his sight lingered too long and he gasped at what he saw.

"Oh…my…god."

Down below him, many police, paramedics and reporters were gathered in and around the wreckage. It looked as though they had been there for hours by the state the wreckage was in. Yellow DANGER tape was positioned around the main fuselage of the helicopter and police were wearing protective and fireproof clothing as they checked out the ruins. Kai couldn't believe that there had been people down there for hours and he hadn't known it!

Wincing in pain, he crawled over to where the remaining two people were lying, asleep. He nudged their shoulders gently, but forcefully, trying to wake them from their slumber.

He succeeded on his third try. Iris – the nurse – was the first to wake. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, still drowsy from sleep.

"Kai?" she groaned. "What's up? Is it morning?"

Kai nodded to the last question and cleared his throat. He knew it was going to be hard to talk, as it was even hard to breathe.

"People…" he choked out eventually, "people…down by…crash site…" He trailed off, his breath wheezing painfully. But his words had succeeded in doing their job. The nurse almost snapped to attention. Her eyes were wide and she gasped as she raced over to the edge of the overhanging ledge of the small cliff that they had found to protect them from anything dangerous that could have come, attracted to the smell of blood.

Sure as day, there were swarms of people milling around the crash sight. Iris couldn't believe her eyes. They had been found!

"Steve!" she called out to the still-waking pilot. "They've found us!" But as she arrived to where Steve was lying, her bottom lip started to tremble.

Kai gasped as his throat burned in pain. Something was horribly wrong and even him – being as stubborn as he was – knew it.

"St…Steve…Iris…" trailing off, his head lolled to the side as he gradually began to lose consciousness. His vision wavered and the moment before he lost himself to the black world of oblivion, Kai heard Iris calling out to the swarms of people below them. Her voice was loud and carried and soon he heard a cry of recognition. They were going to be all right. He just hoped that, once he lost consciousness, he would wake up again. His crimson eyes slid closed and the Russian's mind went blank, all pain disappearing in an instant.

_**

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**_

Stanley Dickenson's eyes widened as a shout was heard from a light ledge a fair distance away from the crash. Everyone present looked up to see a woman shouting and waving from the edge of the small cliff. They could see from where they stood, that the woman was covered in what looked familiarly like blood. She was a crash survivor!

_Iris Johansson…she's alive. What of the others? Did they survive and what about Kai…_

Mr. Dickenson raced over with the paramedics and police as they ran to the cliff, medical supplies in hand.

_Please let Kai be okay…_

His chest heaving from the excursion, Mr. Dickenson waited at the bottom. He had asked to go up with the medics, but his request had been denied. The medics needed to have their space so they could, hopefully, save more lives.

It seemed like hours since the medics had disappeared up the ridge. As he waited, Mr. Dickenson thought about ringing and informing G Revolution and the Blitzkrieg Boys about the situation, but as he thought about the idea more, the less he liked it.

What if Kai hadn't survived and he gave them all false hope? Shunning the thought from his mind, Stanley concentrated on the fact that Kai could still be alive.

Minutes later, shouting came from above them. He looked up and saw four paramedics carrying a stretcher with someone bound to it. As they got closer, Mr. D gasped. The shock of blue hair gave away who it was immediately. Kai was alive…

His surge of relief was soon overshadowed as he got a good look at the teen's condition. One of the medics was holding a clear bottle that was pumping air through a tube and into a plastic mask attached to Kai's face, giving him oxygen. The teen was obviously in a very bad way.

Swallowing at the bad feeling seeping into his bones, Mr. Dickenson clutched onto Kai's cold, pale hand as he was carried past where he was standing. He looked at the medics, pleading obvious in his eyes. They nodded in reply and Mr. D walked alongside the stretcher. As they neared the waiting rescue helicopter, Mr. D gasped as he looked at the unconscious boy. A pair of fiery crimson orbs were open and staring at him. They were slightly glazed and unfocused, but open nonetheless.

Kai blinked and closed his eyes again, his mind slipping back into the realm of nothingness.

Smiling grimly, Stanley Dickenson hopped into the helicopter behind the injured boy and took out a cell phone. He just had to decide whom to ring first: G Revolution or the Blitzkrieg Boys?

He made up his mind, flicked through the contacts on his phone and dialed the number. The person picked up the phone on the third ring.

"_Hello?" _came a gruff voice from the other end of the connection.

"Bryan…It's Stanley Dickenson here."

The reply was shocked. _"Mr. Dickenson? What the hell are you doing, ringing me?"_

"I have some news for you."

"_News?"_

"Yes. You see, Kai-" He was cut off as Bryan shouted in his ear.

"_WHAT? WHAT ABOUT KAI?"_

"If you calm down, I will tell you," came the calm reply from the head of the BBA.

"_Okay…" _Bryan was pissed about being told to calm down and Mr. D knew it.

"Okay then, Bryan. I was just at the crash sight and some survivors were found…"

There was a loud gasp from the other end and Mr. Dickenson guessed that Bryan had put the phone on speaker.

"Anyway, Kai was one of those survivors…I am in a rescue helicopter with him now on the way to the nearest hospital."

"_He's okay?" _

Mr. D sighed. He didn't know how to tell the boys that Kai was in a critical condition. "No. He's not. Kai is in a critical condition at the moment and he hasn't woken up."

"_Oh, man…"_

"I'm sorry, Bryan. I wish I could have delivered you better news, but at least he has been found. Now all we can do is wait."

"_Thank you for telling us." _Bryan's voice was strained and Mr. D knew that it had been very hard for the Russian to say those words.

"You are welcome, Bryan. Get some rest. Staying up all night wont help anyone."

With that, he cut the connection and slumped in his seat, his eyes wandering over to Kai's prone form. The paramedics and doctors had been working on him as he had been on the phone and they had stabilised him as much as they could, given the supplies they had.

"How is he, doctor?"

The stocky doctor looked at him, concern filling his deep, green eyes. "He is very weak and had sustained many injuries. He has internal bleeding, which we cannot do anything to prevent at this time. He will immediately go into surgery when we reach the hospital."

Closing his eyes, Stanley wiped a stray tear from his cheek. Kai had done so much in his short life, yet he had been punished so badly for doing nothing.

The whirring of the helicopter blades slowing brought Mr. Dickenson out of his reverie. Staring out one of the windows, he concluded that they had arrived at the hospital. The doctors had started shouting orders to doctors and surgeons waiting by the door to the inside of the hospital.

He waited until Kai had been lifted out of the helicopter and onto a different stretcher; one with wheels, and was rushed inside. Mr. D knew that Kai would be in surgery for many hours to come, so he slowly made his way down to the lobby to make the dreaded call to G Revolution, that was if they hadn't heard the news on TV first.

Pulling out the phone to make the call, Mr. Dickenson dialled the number and waited. After ten rings he was tempted to hang up, but waited and after a few more rings a breathless voice answered the phone.

"_He…llo…" _spluttered the voice belonging to the reigning World Champ. _"Ty…son…speaking."_

"Hello, Tyson."

"_Mr. D!" _exclaimed the blue haired blader. _"What are you doing? Calling us?"_

"Where have you been, Tyson? You sound all out of breath."

"_We've been training,"_ was the curt reply and Mr. Dickenson was shocked. They were obviously taking the last match very seriously – as they should – but he couldn't be a little annoyed that they hadn't been paying attention to what was going on in the world, especially when their teammate was missing.

"Training? Good on you," he paused, unsure of how to tell the happy boy. "I need to talk to the team, Tyson. Could you bring them to the phone for me?"

"_Sure thing, Mr. D!" _There were sounds of the phone being placed on a table and he heard Tyson calling out to his friends. _'Mr. D wants to talk to us! Get in here!'_

"_Now, we're all here, Mr. D."_

"Good. Now guys, it's about Kai…"

He could almost feel the anticipation on the other end of the phone. They were all deadly quiet and Mr. D felt it best to carry on.

"Kai has been found. He's in surgery as we speak." He had decided to keep it short and sweet, as he knew he would have been interrupted if he had dragged it out a little.

"_WHAT? HE'S OKAY?"_

Grimacing from the shouting in his ear, Mr. Dickenson sighed. "No, he's not okay. Kai is in a critical condition, Tyson. He is in surgery to try and save his life."

"_Oh…" _This time the word was more subdued, the severity of the situation hitting home hard.

"I'm so sorry, Tyson. Kai's strong. He'll pull through."

_I sincerely hope…_

"_Okay. Thanks Mr. D. For telling us."_

He cut the connection. He had done the right thing, informing them, so why did he feel even worse than before?

Slouching into a chair, the head of the BBA sat and waited for the captain of G Revolution to come out of surgery that would ultimately save of destroy his life.

_**

* * *

**_

Kai felt like he was encased in ice. He was so cold, but for some reason his body was not shivering or protesting at the cold temperature. He couldn't see anything around him, couldn't even hear. He was entombed in his dying body with no way out.

Memories flitted through his head as he lay there, succumbing to the darkness. Memories of a bitter and pain filled life, a life where he had struggled so hard to stay apart of.

_Tala…_

The name of the redhead rushed into his mind. He pictured his so-called friend lying in a hospital bed, asleep. Only, the sleep he was in was one that no one knew when he would awaken from.

_You always said you'd be there for me…_

A sudden pain ripped through his body. For some reason, only the feeling of pain was able to break through the cold ice encasing his body.

Screwing his crimson eyes shut in pain, Kai screamed out with all his soul to his best friend lying in a hospital.

_TALA!!!_

_**

* * *

**_

The surgeons working on Kai at the time jumped back as his body convulsed and his heart rate spiked, then dropped back to a normal rhythm. They had been struggling to keep the boy's heart beating for hours as they operated and finally their hard work had paid off.

Sighing in relief, the surgeons patched up the many abrasions on the poor boy's body. There were many drips and tubes attached to the Russian teen: one was giving him blood, another supplying the much-needed fluids. An oxygen mask covered most of his face, but the surgeons could see his face twisted in pain.

Kai was obviously in some kind of pain, most probably emotional. The doctors and surgeons had no way of knowing what was going on in the unconscious teen's mind, but they knew it wasn't good, whatever it was.

_**

* * *

**_

Voltaire snarled at the TV in front of him. His damn grandson had survived the crash. No thanks to his beloved bird…

"Boris!" he shouted at the door. "Get _in_ here…_NOW!"_

The large door opened and in walked the tall, purple haired man. On his face was a scowl that looked as though it could freeze hell.

"Yes, Voltaire?"

"My grandson is still alive. I want him _dead._ Understand?"

"Yes, Sir." Boris bowed low and as he walked out the door, flashed his _boss_ a nasty glare that would have turned corpses in their sleep.

"Good," was the last words spoken before Boris left the room. As the door clicked shut, the Russian elder turned back to the TV. There was a pretty, young reporter gracing the screen. Behind her was the sight of the crashed helicopter. He looked at her face and smirked widely. He turned up the volume and listened intently.

"_Today, we are here at the crash sight of the rescue helicopter that was carrying Kai Hiwatari to a nearby hospital. Earlier this morning, Mr. Hiwatari and three others were found. Unfortunately, one of them had died late last night due to injuries sustained in the crash. We are not permitted to disclose this person's name as the family of the deceased has yet to be informed of the death. May this person rest in peace…"_

"_The other three that survived are all currently in surgery, their conditions critical. We will give you more as we receive it. Ally Hopkins, Channel 5 News Out."_

The screen flicked to a news reporter at the station and Voltaire lost all interest in the television.

_So they haven't named the deceased yet. It's not Kai, because I know he survived. I would have felt it if he had died. We _are_ blood after all…_

Grinning slyly, Voltaire Hiwatari looked out the window as he conspired of how to rid the world of his meddling grandson. Many thoughts whirled around his dark mind, trying to force themselves to the forefront of brain.

The sun was burning brightly in the blue sky in the outside world. He had not step foot outside of his mansion ever since his grandson had been presumed dead in the horrible accident that had claimed so many other lives. Reporters from all over the world had gathered outside his mansion, trying to get answers and his thoughts on his only grandson's disappearance.

He had not wanted to meet them, nor answer any of their stupid questions. He had been completely focused on trying to keep his grandson missing or either found dead.

A smile played upon his grey lips, a memory washing through him. He remembered the day his son and daughter-in-law had been rid from his world, leaving Kai a defenceless little boy: an orphan for life.

_flashback_

_A younger version of Voltaire Hiwatari strode into his son's living room, anger written all over his face. Sitting on the floor was his daughter-in-law, playing with their small son. Kai was squealing in delight as his mother tickled him. _

"_Son," spoke Voltaire, his voice void of any emotion. Both of the other adults in the room turned at his voice. The woman playing with his grandson gasped and clutched the child closer to her breast. _

"_What do you want, Father?" demanded the dark-blue haired man, his eyes shining in anger._

"_What do I want?" Voltaire asked rhetorically, "You, of all people, should know what I want. He's in this very room."_

"_No!" screamed the woman with slate hair that hung just below her shoulders in feathery layers. "You can't have my son!"_

_Voltaire glared at the woman, causing her to stop her yelling. "I will have him. You know it and your husband knows it. Kai will be mine. You are not fit parents to look after such a beautiful child with so much potential."_

"_You're wrong!" the woman screeched again. "He is beautiful and he has a lot of potential! But not for your sick ways! Kai is my baby and he will stay that way!" She hugged her confused son tighter and sobbed into his two-toned hair._

"_Mum...my?" the small child sobbed as his mother cried on him. _

_She didn't answer and continued to cry. Voltaire took the opportunity at the sign of weakness and whipped over to her in lightning speed. He put his hand down by his belt and gripped the handle of a knife. He pulled it out and plunged it deep into his daughter-in-law's back. She screamed in pain and dropped her baby boy. Crimson eyes wide in panic and desperation, she lunged at her baby before Voltaire got his hands on him._

_Voltaire saw the woman lunge at her crying son and raced forward and claimed the boy before the boy's dying mother could. Screaming and kicking, the boy was putting up a valiant fight. _

_Voltaire smacked the kid on the side of the head and the boy went limp. He placed him on the floor beside the stairs going up to the second story and turned back to his son who was seething in rage, kneeling next to his fallen love. _

"_Now, son. It is time to rid the world of you…" Smirking, he ran full force at his son, knife brandished in his hand. _

_His son's crimson eyes were filled with pain and sorrow at his wife's still form lying on the floor next to him. A rapidly spreading stain could be seen on the blue carpet and her white dress was stained a bright red. _

"_You…are…going…to…pay," snapped his son. _

"_I don't think so, son," Voltaire smirked, his body portraying arrogance. _

_His son rushed at him and Voltaire just held the knife out in front of his body and his stupid son impaled himself on the knife. His eyes widened as he realised what had happened. He just signed his child's imprisonment and his own death warrant._

"_No…Kai…run…get…away…" His breath was laboured as Voltaire yanked the knife out of his son's body. The blue haired man slumped to the ground, his arms wrapped protectively around his stomach. _

_Smiling in triumph, Voltaire turned to grab the kid, but found he was not where he had left him. Frowning, Voltaire saw that the front door was open and stalked out of the house, not looking back at his dying son and his dead wife. He needed to find the boy._

_------------_

_Kai watched as his grandfather stalked out of the house. He had heard his daddy tell him to run and get away, so he had done just that. Once his grandfather had reached his car and driven away, he ran back inside. _

_Reaching the living room, Kai screamed and ran over to his father who was coughing up blood. _

"_Daddy?" he whispered, not wanting to hurt his daddy. He shook his shoulder slightly and his father looked up at him. _

"_K-Kai…" _

"_Daddy! Don't go! Don't leave me!" he broke down, sobbing into his father's chest, staining his own shirt with his father's blood. _

"_I'm…not going…anywhere just…yet." _

_Looking over his father's shoulder as he was embraced, Kai saw his mother lying on the ground. A red liquid was pooled around her form. _

"_Mummy!" _

_He pulled out the hug and ran over to his mother. "Mummy?" _

_She didn't wake up. Again, he called out to her again and again there was no reply. _

"_Daddy?"_

"_Yes…Kai…" spoke his father, long breaths taking place between each word. _

"_Mummy wont wake up…"_

"_You…have…to…find…"_

"_Find who, Daddy?" screamed Kai as his father fell on the ground, facing upwards._

"_Find…Tala…"_

_Shocked, Kai nodded at his father and gave him another hug. "Don't go," he whispered into his father's chest. _

"_Go…Kai…run…"_

_Crying, Kai nodded and hiccupped. He ran over to his mother and hugged her still form and then, taking one last look back, he ran and ran until he reached his best friend's house. He hid in the bushes until he saw Tala and his father come running out. _

"_NO!" screamed the small red haired boy. "What about Mummy? MUMMY!"_

_Kai stared at his best friend as the word echoed throughout his mind._

"_Mummy?"_

"_Mummy won't wake up…"_

_end flashback_

Smiling, Voltaire leaned back in his chair. He had loved seeing the blood running though the Hiwatari household. It was like music to his ears.

Suddenly, a high-pitched squealing reached his ears. Frowning, he turned to look towards the door and saw a small device placed on the floor. He got up from his large chair and his eyes widened as he saw what the small device was.

_A bomb…_

He scrambled to get to the door and panicked as he realized the door was locked.

"No!" he screamed, racing for the window. Just as he reached the large window, huge blast ripped through his mansion and Voltaire's world went black…

* * *

**The end!**

**Hehe, wow an even longer chapter! Sorry it took so long… **

**Hope you enjoyed! **

**I will try to get next chapter up as soon as I can, but the holidays are over now……**

**Until next time!**

**DancerInTheDark101**


	4. Angels

**Hay there all you who read this fic! Sorry it took so long for an update…but school started again after the Term 1 holidays and I had soooo much homework! shakes fist at teachers who give out lots of homework Thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter. It is greatly appreciated!**

* * *

A special thanks to…

FlyingShadow666 – Yay! You hate Voltaire! Hehe. I have updated too! Thanks for the review. And about Kai……I wont say anymore…

kavbj – about Voltaire…he may be dead, he may not be…read to find out! There are B-Boys in this chap and there is a surprise for them all!!! Thanks for the review!

Ethereal Flower – thank you so much for the review! Everyone wants to know about Voltaire hmmm………read and find out! Hehehe. Hope you enjoy the chap!

kailover2006 – I have updated! And I'm so glad you like it! I had actually not thought of Kai and Tala being related…I shall give the idea some thought! Thanks for the review!

Destiny Quill – thanks – once again – for the really long review! I love long reviews! Bout the whole confused thing…well, here is some sort of explanation: Kai has done a lot for his friends in his life, helping them with like, everything. Yet his grandfather and Boris punished him for doing nothing to them…hope that makes SOME sense! Hehe. Thank you for all the lovely comments about my writing. It's always nice to hear that kind of thing! Hope you enjoy this chapter! 

d1bontemp – you got it right! One of the only two to get it!!!! Hehe! For that, you get a…a…whatever you want!! Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Elemental Gypsy – hay thanks for the review! And yes, you're right, he did it…although, you can do it do if you want! You guessed right, so you can have…the next chance to blow a bad guy up!! Mwha ha ha ha I want to huggle Kai too! Hehe. I think the next chapter will include all the other teams and their reactions. Thanks so much for reviewing! Enjoy!

Nameless Little Girl – I'm glad you loved it! Hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for review!

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**Anyways, with out further ado, here is the fourth chapter! ENJOY! PS. And review! hehe**

* * *

**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

_**DancerInTheDark101** _

* * *

**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 4: Angels**

The wind blew through the ruins of the mansion that once housed the multi-billionaire: Voltaire Hiwatari. So far, after hours and hours of searching, the rescue teams had found nothing but debris. No remains had been found and the weather was starting to degrade and it looked as though a storm was on its way. The clouds had covered the sun and had darkened to the point of being totally black.

"We're going to have to call it a day, guys!" called out a rescue worker, standing on top of what looked like a smashed desk. There were murmurs of agreement as they took in what the weather was doing.

Stanley Dickenson watched as the workers packed up their things and started to filter out into their cars and drove away. Only a few volunteers had stayed to try and search the rubble for any one who may have survived the explosion. Mr. Dickenson was pretty sure that no one could have survived such a powerful blast that had reduced half of the five-story mansion to rubble. It just wasn't possible.

His eyes swept over the damage that had been left scattered across the singed ground. There were still mountains of debris that needed to be cleared away before anything could be recovered. Mr. Dickenson highly doubted that anyone could have survived the cause of the collapse of the historical building.

Voltaire was certainly dead, or if not, severely injured and as Stanley thought about the elder owner of BioVolt, his mind wandered towards a younger, less evil Hiwatari that lay in a hospital bed this very instant. He had been informed that the surgery to repair the internal damage caused by the crash and all the other injuries sustained in his battle with Brooklyn had gone well and Kai was now in a stable, but critical condition. The Bladebreakers were now on-route to the hospital that he was currently in.

"Oh, Kai…" whispered the elderly man as he thought of what the boy had gone through in his short life. Both parents dead at a young age, his only living relative killing them and taking over his life, the same relative trying to take over the world of beyblading and almost succeeding. Kai had been through so much that Mr. Dickenson sometimes wondered how the boy had survived at all.

The training at the Abbey in Russia was anything but soft. Many of the children who had been released from the awful place when it was shut down were severely malnutritioned, dehydrated and most had old wounds that had not been tended or cared for properly. Although they were all in bad ways, only a few of them died on their first nights of freedom. Mr. D realised that they had all stuck together and were tougher then they looked, helping each other survive the outside world.

His mind flitted to Tala and the other Blitzkrieg Boys currently at a different hospital, with Tala in a coma. The red-haired stoic teen had still not awoken from the slumber that had caused his friends so much distress, and no one was certain if he ever would.

Wiping a sweating hand over his face, Stanley Dickenson looked around him at the wreckage, which, only moments before, many people had been searching through trying to find any survivors. Mr. D just hoped that anyone innocent caught in the deadly blast had survived, he hate dragging innocent civilians into any of BioVolt's messes. Children were bad enough; he didn't want anyone else to get hurt.

A sudden ringing snapped him out of his reverie and the aging man looked down to his pants pocket and pulled out a sleek, black cell phone. Snapping it open, Mr. D listened to the voice on the other end.

"_Mr. D?"_

"Rei? What's wrong?"

"We need to talk. Kai…" 

Mr. D was immediately on guard. The way Rei had said Kai's name… "Rei, what is it? Rei!" he demanded, his worry showing through as anger. Fortunately, Rei understood his tone and sighed.

"_There were some complications in the surgery,"_ Rei's voice muttered on the other end of the connection. _"He's alright now, ad we've seen him. But…"_

Mr. Dickenson frowned. He didn't like where this conversation was going. "Yes?" he spoke hesitantly.

"We saw things…on Kai…" 

He closed his eyes as Rei spoke of things he shouldn't know. "Who else saw?" he asked tiredly.

There was a hesitant pause before Rei answered. _"Everyone…"_

"I understand. I'll be there as soon as I can, Rei. Just…just don't talk about it until I get there." He cut the connection before Rei could reply and Mr. Dickenson sighed in exasperation.

What am I going to do now? 

Quickly thinking of a resolution, Mr. D picked his phone up and dialed a number. Ten minutes later, he was on his way to the hospital where four Russian bladers were situated.

* * *

Bryan watched the rest of his team sleep in awkward positions in chairs and on the floor. They had been staying with their comatose captain ever since Kai had been missing, and Bryan had admitted to himself that he was scared that he would lose Tala as well as Kai.

"Oh, Tala…' he whispered, making sure no one else could hear him. He was supposed to be hard and cold, not warm-hearted and caring. He didn't want _anyone_ to hear what he was about to confess to his captain.

"You have to wake up, Tal. Kai's in hospital too now, and to tell the truth, I don't wanna lose him either. I know I was never really that nice to him back when we were in the Abbey, but I guess I was just jealous at the amount of talent the guy had. I never really knew what happened behind closed doors. I'm really sorry, Tala. And I know I'm a coward for telling you this when you're in a coma and when Kai's not even here, but I don't know if I could tell you any other time."

Bryan hung his head and his lilac hair flopped over his face, hiding his eyes from view. It was then, when Bryan was at his lowest, that a pair of startling blue eyes opened slowly and peered around, confused.

A small tear dripped from his eye and Bryan didn't have the heart to wipe it away.

I cant even say sorry when they're awake…what kind of person am I? 

A small groan filled the room and Bryan didn't bother to lift his head, knowing that it would only be Spencer or Ian waking up. He hissed in breath through his teeth, trying to compose himself for the barrage of questions that would no doubt follow the awakening.

Surprisingly, there was none. Confused, he lifted his head and saw, shocked, a pair of blue eyes staring back at him. Lip trembling, Bryan leant closer to see if it really was his captain that was awake.

"Tala…?" he whispered, afraid that if he talked too loud, it would do something to send his friend back into a coma.

The eyes blinked at the name and focused on Bryan.

Bryan swallowed. Could it really be that Tala had finally awoken?

Oh please let it be true. Please… Bryan begged. 

"Bry…an…" came the broken response from the hospitalized teen.

Bryan let out a cry of relief and carefully flung his arms around his captain. His shout woke the other two in the room and soon all three of them were laughing, confusing the poor Russian teen even more.

"You're awake!" yelled Spencer and Ian as they smiled at their friend.

"Wha…"

"What happened?" Bryan finished for Tala. The redhead nodded and Bryan smirked.

"Brooklyn beat you…you lost consciousness and have been in a coma for a few weeks…"

"Oh…" was the only reply from the Russian and Bryan smirked again. Tala had – and would always be – a guy of few words.

A moment later, Bryan saw the panic light up in Tala's sapphire blue eyes. "Tala?" he asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Kai…" he breathed, "where's Kai?"

At that very moment, the door opened with a loud bang and all the boys, including Tala, turned to see three men walking in. Their faces all turned from serious to shocked as they saw the awake teen lying on the bed.

"Tala!" gaped the man at the back, his hand flying up to cover his mouth in surprise.

The man was Mr. Dickenson; the man who had shut down the Abbey for good and had set them up with new lives afterwards. They owed the Director of the BBA a lot, and now, Bryan felt the need to thank the man again. He had informed them of Kai's condition as he had been transferred to another hospital to go into surgery and now here he was, visiting them in person.

Wondering what the elder man was doing in the hospital, Bryan stood up. "What brings you here, Mr. Dickenson?" None of the Blitzkrieg Boys could bring themselves to call the man 'Mr. D' as many others did. They had been bought up to pay respect to their elders, and shortening a formal name was something they just didn't do. It was also a sign of respect.

"Boys!" he cheerily spoke. "I just came to tell you that Kai is out of surgery and recovering."

Bryan smiled at that, but stopped as soon as a gasp echoed from behind him. He turned and saw Tala, eyes wide, shaking on the bed.

"Tala?" He ran to him. "Tal?"

"Kai…hospital…surgery…" gasped the red-haired blader.

"Tala! It's okay!" reassured Bryan, shaking his captain slightly. "It's okay…he's okay."

Tala calmed down at those words, but everyone in the room could tell he was still confused by everything. He had only just woken up, of course. Confusion was natural for coma patients when they awoke.

"Kai's…okay…?" he spoke between gasps of air. He had taken the oxygen mask off and was now having trouble breathing. Bryan put it back on and smiled.

"Yeah, Tala. Kai's a fighter. He's fine."

Tala smiled slightly at that. His lids began to drop and Bryan knew the boy was exhausted. "Go to sleep, Tala."

The redhead faintly nodded before his head fell to the side and his breathing evened out, signaling that he was indeed asleep.

Giving out a sigh of relief, Bryan turned back to the three men standing on the other side of the room. Mr. Dickenson smiled at him and Bryan gave a small twitch of his lips back. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Dickenson."

The balding man nodded and graced the room with a large smile. "It's my pleasure. Oh, and Bryan?" he said as he started to make his way to the door.

"Yeah?" he replied, confused.

"You don't have to keep calling me Mr. Dickenson, you know. 'Mr. D' is fine." With that, the BBA Director shut the door behind him, his two 'friends' following his every step. Once again, they were alone in the hospital. But this time, their captain was finally out of his coma.

* * *

Rei stared at his almost lifeless captain lying on the bed in front of him. Stark white sheets were pulled up to his middle and above that, he could see the white bandages wrapping around his toned chest.

Sighing, Rei ran a hand through his long, back hair and pondered over the look on Kai's face. It was a cross between pain and anguish and Rei couldn't understand why the expression was etched onto Kai's porcelain features. He had heard that when people were unconscious or in a coma, their features were calm and peaceful. Who ever had said that was wrong, because his captain looked nothing like peaceful.

_What is going on in your head, Kai? What could make you look the way you do right now? Kai…_

Kai twitched in his sleep and Rei propped his elbows on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands, staring at the sleeping figure of his friend. All Rei wanted to do was to see Kai's crimson eyes open, so that he could see that he was okay. The doctors had already informed them that Kai would survive, but Rei wanted to see it for himself, as did the rest of the team.

Tyson, Max, Kenny and Hilary were out getting food from the hospital canteen, courtesy of Tyson's grumbling stomach and would be back in a little while with something to eat. Rei was enjoying the moments of silence and savoured it while it lasted. Because when Tyson and the others came back, silence would be a forgotten word.

"How the hell did we get ourselves into this mess, Kai?" Rei whispered to the quiet room. The Chinese blader sighed when there was no response, he didn't expect that there would be one.

The door creaked and Rei whipped around as the rest of his team pole their heads through the door. Rei rolled his eyes and smiled at their antics. They all laughed and piled into the room, a few extra people tagging along behind.

"Mr. D!" Rei exclaimed, surprised to see him.

Nodding, Mr. D acknowledged the Chinese boy, "Hello, Rei. Nice to see you're well."

"You too, Mr. D."

Tyson laughed loudly at something and Rei turned his attention to him. The navy-haired Japanese blader was scoffing a piece of what, strangely looked like pizza. It was covered in cheese that dripped off the side and Rei fought the urge to throw up. He hated cheese. A/N: I have no idea if Rei hates cheese or not ()

"Arghhh…Tyson!" Rei growled. He could _feel_ the repulsed look wash over his face and he back away from the menacingly advancing boy. "Get the cheese away from me!" he yelled and laughed. "Tyson!"

The wielder of Dragoon kept advancing and Rei felt himself slam into the wall behind him. "I will leave you alone…if…"

Rei shuddered, thinking of what he could be thinking about, but was glad of the release in tension. Tyson definitely had a way of lightening things up.

"I will leave you alone, if you eat a bit of cheese!" The Japanese boy laughed and a few minutes later of being repulsed by the smell of cheese, Rei finally succumbed to the madness and took a bit of the sickening yellow mush that was cheese.

"Yuck!"

Rei rolled his eyes at the amount of laughter echoing around the small, but spacious hospital room. It certainly was entertaining.

At that moment, Kai's doctor decided to walk in and Rei sobered immediately. The look on the doctor's face wasn't one that he had wanted to see.

The doctor nodded at them and Rei frowned.

What the hell is going on? 

"If I may? I would like to speak to Mr. Dickenson alone." They were ushered out of the room and they all said goodbye to the unconscious Kai before they left, promising to return as soon as they could.

* * *

Mr. Dickenson locked eyes with the middle-aged doctor. He dropped down into a seat next to the hospital bed and took a deep breath.

"Now, what's going on, doctor?"

The doctor looked uncomfortable and Mr. D took note of it. "Mr. Dickenson, we have found proof that Kai has been handled, let us say, roughly, during his youth."

The elder man gasped at the new piece of information. "He was abused?"

"Sexually, no. Physically, yes a little and mentally, I am not sure. We haven't had the chance to check his mental health yet."

Mr. Dickenson bowed his head at the news. He had expected that the stoic Russian boy had been roughly handled, but he was hoping it wasn't too severe. "How…how badly abused?" The question was hard for him to ask, as he didn't really want to hear the answer.

"Kai has only suffered a mild case of abuse, Mr. Dickenson. There are scars running down his back from what seems to be broken glass of some sort, there are also a number of scars on his hands, legs and chest that seem to have been caused by beyblades."

The last part made sense to Mr. D and he sighed inwardly in relief. So it wasn't _too_ bad.

A/N: just because I have written that it isn't _too_ bad, does not mean that I think abuse is okay. Just thought I would let you know()

"How is his condition, doctor?" he asked, his voice tired.

The doctor pause before he spoke and looked at the sleeping boy; "The internal bleeding has stopped, which is good and the burns on his arms and chest are healing well and the wound from the metal debris has started to close and heal nicely as well."

Mr. Dickenson frowned. Something wasn't right. "There's a 'but' in there somewhere, isn't there?"

The doctor nodded. "The wound on his stomach has become infected and a fever developed a few hours ago. It's not severe, yet and we are pumping Kai's body full of antibiotics to help fight off the infection."

Mr. D looked over to the unconscious teen and grabbed one of the limp hands that were lying down by his sides. An IV was attached to the back of the hand, giving the boy much-needed fluids and medicine.

Rubbing the hand absentmindedly, Mr. Dickenson wished with all his heart for the boy to awaken soon. His eyes widened as he realised he had forgotten to tell the rest of G Revolution. He leant over Kai's prone body and whispered into his ear.

"Tala's awake, Kai. He wants you, and he needs you. Please, wake up. Even if it for him. Please, just wake up."

There was no response from the slate-haired teen except for the steady _beat, beat _of the heart monitor placed beside the bed.

Mr. Dickenson closed his eyes and prayed for the boy lying in the bed before him. He wasn't an overly religious man, but Kai was worth trying.

* * *

_Where am I? Why is it so cold? Tala? Where is everyone?_

Kai shivered once again. He felt so cold and nothing was there to warm him up; not his friends, not even Dranzer. She had left his heart cold with no way of heating up.

Dranzer… 

Kai could hear people talking to him. He couldn't answer and he wasn't completely sure of who the people were. He recognised their voices, but couldn't place whom they belonged to.

"_How the hell did we get ourselves into this mess, Kai?" _The voice was warm, gentle: one of a friend. Kai tried desperately to grip onto the person's image as he lay in what seemed, ice, but the image slipped away from him, just like every other one did.

"_Tala's awake, Kai. He wants you, and he needs you. Please, wake up. Even if it for him. Please, just wake up." _This voice belonged to an older man. He also, was one that Kai trusted. And once again, the image of the man slipped away before he had a chance to grasp it. One thing stayed in his mind though. The name the imageless man had spoken; Tala.

Tala? Where are you? Why aren't you here with me? Why…

* * *

_**This world may have failed you;  
it doesn't give you a reason why.**_

* * *

A sudden sound caught Kai's attention and a bright light invaded his eyes. He squinted and as soon as it died down, Kai gasped.Dranzer…you came… 

_:Master:_

_Oh god, Dranzer. I thought you were dead._

_:Not yet, Master. Not yet:_

Kai was confused. Not yet?

Dranzer…What…? Why…? 

_:I am sorry, Master. But I must go:_

Kai felt like his heart had been turned into glass and shattered with a hammer, breaking into a million pieces. Tears pricked his eyes as he realized what was going to happen. Dranzer was going to leave him…

_NO!!!!_

Kai's scream echoed throughout the space where he was imprisoned. Its anguish reaching the deep depths of what ever was there.

_Don't leave me!_

_:I am terribly sorry, Kai:_

Kai screwed his eyes shut, hoping it was all a bad dream; a _very_ bad dream. Dranzer was going to leave him, forever.

_I cant live without you, Dranz…_

_:Kai…please. You have to listen to me. This is the only way. If I don't do this, you will never wake up:_

_What? _came the shocked reply from the teen blader.

_:You are currently in a deep sleep, Kai. One that, without my help, you will not awaken from:_

_Oh god… _whispered Kai to his beloved Bitbeast. _Please don't go…_

_:I'm sorry…:_

There was another bright flashing light and Kai felt himself jerk in pain. The pain felt like someone was tearing his insides out. Volts of what seemed like electricity flowed through him, shaking him to the core. He was in so much pain he didn't notice the startled voices start up around him again. They were full of concern and obvious panic.

"_Kai! Oh my god! KAI!"_

Kai screamed out as the pain assaulted him again and again. _TALA!!!_

_**

* * *

**_

Tyson watched as his friend and team captain jerked in his bed. His face was screwed up in unimaginable pain and it was all Tyson could do not to wince.

Kai's face was deathly white, his slate bangs falling into his closed, crimson orbs. The tattoos on his cheeks stood out starkly against the white skin and Tyson realized how young it made Kai look.

The slate-haired teen thrashed wildly in the bed as his heart rate spiked and started beating irregularly. A loud, beeping filled the normally semi-silent room and many different doctors and nurses came rushing into the room at full speed.

"Move! Shouted one doctor as he tried to restrain the struggling teen.

"We need to sedate him!" screamed a nurse as one of Kai's arms connected with a tray of syringes and sent them flying across the room and scattering on the floor.

Tyson backed up against the wall along with his fellow teammates and watched in horror as the doctors struggled to stop Kai from hurting himself any further.

One doctor even yelled out: "What the hell is wrong with him!?"

"Dranzer…" came the strangled voice from the bed and everyone quieted down and tried to hear what the restrained teen was saying.

"No…don't go…stay…Dranzer…"

Tyson gasped at Kai's words. Dranzer?

Kai seemed to deflate after those words and the struggles stopped. One doctor took advantage of the stillness and injected Kai with a sedative. He got the shock of his life as he leant over to check the pulse of the boy – as the pads attached to his chest and heart monitor had been ripped off in the struggle – and was greeted with a pair of burning crimson eyes.

The man screamed and jumped backwards, pressing a hand to his chest, trying to stop his racing heart.

"He's…awake…" he gasped, breathing deeply.

"WHAT!?!" chorused all the people in the room at once, their voices disbelieving and shocked.

Their disbelief was soon dissipated as a quiet, but audible groan came from the figure lying on the bed. Tyson saw Kai's eyes flicker and open and close.

_He's awake!_

"Kai!" screamed Tyson as he flung his arms around the team captain. A moment later, all his friends joined him as they rejoiced the fact that he had finally woken up.

Another groan was heard – this time louder – and a few seconds later, the Russian teen shook his head and glanced up at the people crowding his bed. They all grinned and laughed. Their captain was finally back!

_**

* * *

**_

Voltaire groaned as he came to. The world was black around him and he fought to the surface of consciousness. Looking about himself, he saw that he was lying in an open field. Tall trees surrounded him and their leaves fell to the ground as wind bellowed through the branches.

Voltaire Hiwatari shivered in the early night. He struggled to sit up, but found it hard, as he could not feel his legs. Horrified, he tried to figure out what the hell had happened to him. Then it all came rushing back.

_The black device…realization…the bomb…pain…screaming…darkness…_

His eyes widened as he realized who had planted the bomb in his study and he vowed to exact his revenge, in some way or another.

Growling in frustration at his helplessness, Voltaire rolled over slightly and felt around him with a bleeding hand. All he felt was the soft feel of green and succulent grass beneath his fingertips. He had no indication of where he was and how he had got there.

The night was getting colder by the minute and Voltaire knew that if he didn't get some help soon, he would die of exposure before the night was over. He thought of the man who had betrayed him so badly as he lay on the ground, paralyzed.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Blinded by faith I couldn't hear  
All the whispers, the warnings so clear. **_

_**

* * *

**_

"Boris…" he growled. He _would_ get his revenge, even if it meant destroying his own life in the process.

* * *

**The end of the chapter!**

**Hope you all enjoyed. I wrote it in a couple of hours!!! **

**The song lyrics mentioned in the chapter are from the song 'Angels' by Within Temptation. It's a great song by the way!**

**Until next time!**

**DancerInTheDark101**

**P.S: Oh, and REVIEW!!!! Thank you!**


	5. Operation?

**They there all you readers! Thank you SOOOO much for all the WONDERFUL reviews last chapter! I got nine! Wahoo! Well, here is the next chapter for all you wonderful people out there who read this **

**Warning: there is a little bit of yaoi in this chapter – but only a little!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade…unfortunately. **

**Useless fact: did you know that this fic was originally only going to be a oneshot???**

* * *

A special thanks to…

kavbj – yes it was those that Rei had seen on Kai, well done for figuring it out! The cheese…well…hehe, I had no idea why that went in there, but I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing and enjoy this chap!

FlyingShadow666 – yes Kai and Tala are awake! I couldn't leave them asleep for too long could I? Where would the fic go… about Dranzer…I have an idea about her, but you'll have to wait and find out! It's not in this chapter, but there is a major surprise at the end! Thanks for the review! 

kailover2006 – I have updated!!! Hehe.

Destiny Quill – well, another long review! I'm loving it! Wow, you really know grammatical stuff don't you…cool! Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments on my writing. Seriously, when I read your review – and everyone else's – I felt so happy inside! I'm also glad that I made your day better and hopefully this chapter will make you happy too! Thank you so much again for the wonderful review! Hope you enjoy this chapter, there's a surprise at the end…

d1bontemp – thanks for the review! I'm glad you love the way it's going! Hope you enjoy this chappie!

Elemental Gypsy – yes, bash Voltaire with the pickaxe! Hehe. Anyway, there is a little something just for you in this chapter I hope you like! And about Dranzer…I have an idea…but it is not voiced – or rather, typed – yet. You'll just have to wait and see…thanks for the review! Enjoy.

Ethereal Flower – yes they are awake! Yay! I have talent? Thank you! I'm really glad you liked the chapter and hopefully this one appeals just as much :) enjoy the chapter!

n-zelda-n – thank you so much for the review! It means a lot to get some new reviewers! Hope you like this chapter as much as you did the last four! Enjoy…

* * *

**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**_DancerInTheDark101 _**

* * *

**Inner Fury Of Fire**

**Chapter 5: Operation?**

It was the middle of the next day before anyone else heard of the news. They had been called and asked to gather at the local BBA training center for some important news.

G Revolution was the first ones there, seeing that they were the ones giving the news to the other teams. Tyson was jumping up and down, excitement showing through the massive grin on his face; Rei was smiling widely and rolling his eyes at Tyson's behaviour; Max was jumping up and down – the same as Tyson – whilst eating candy floss and drinking from a can of Coke; Kenny was typing away on his laptop, Dizzi complaining A/N: does anyone know where Dizzi went? In the third series she wasn't there…can anyone help me? Thanks

Kenny smiled from behind his laptop as he remembered the previous day's events.

_flashback_

"_Kai!" screamed Tyson as he flung his arms around the team captain. A moment later, all his friends joined him as they rejoiced the fact that he had finally woken up._

_Another groan was heard – this time louder – and a few seconds later, the Russian teen shook his head and glanced up at the people crowding his bed. They all grinned and laughed. Their captain was finally back!_

"_Kai, buddy!" yelled Tyson again, his face cracking into a wide grin. "You're awake!" He continued to dance around, his face happy and cheerful._

_A few minutes later, after everyone had finished dancing and yelling, they quieted down and began to question the Russian teen. _

_Rei spoke up first. "How you feeling, Kai?"_

_The captain rolled his crimson eyes. "Just…peachy…" came his broken reply. He was still heavily drugged up and they could all see the glaze running through his eyes. _

_There were sighs all around saying 'he's back'. Tyson giggled and grinned as he got a funny look from Kai. _

"_What?" he complained, "it's funny, that's all!" _

"_Give…it a rest…Tyson…" spoke Kai from the hospital bed. He grimaced in pain and replaced the oxygen mask that had been placed over his mouth only moments before. _

"_Guys…"_

_The members of G Revolution turned, confused, at their captain's tone. "Yeah, Kai?"_

"_Ahhh…" he was lost for words, "thank…you…"_

_There was an awkward silence as everyone processed what Kai had said. They were – undoubtedly – shocked at his words and Tyson blinked a few times before grinning his contagious grin again. "No prob, buddy!"_

"_Hn." _

"_He is SO back!" yelled the over enthusiastic navy-haired teen as their captain replied with one of his favourite sayings._

_end flashback_

It was a few minutes before any of the other teams arrived and Kenny sat down and begun typing furiously on his laptop again. He was looking up any thing he could about Kai, Voltaire, Boris, the Blitzkrieg Boys and the Abbey. He wanted to know everything they could so that if anything bad happened – again – they would be prepared.

It took at least half an hour for every team to arrive and by that time, Kenny was submerged in information about everything and everyone he wanted to know about. What he had gathered had shocked him, but he had hid his shock well and decided not to tell any of the others about any of it until later. He could still remember the look on everyone's faces when they found out about Kai's back…

_flashback_

"_Mr. D?"_

"_Rei? What's wrong?"_

"We need to talk. Kai…" 

_Mr. D was immediately on guard. The way Rei had said Kai's name… "Rei, what is it? Rei!" he demanded, his worry showing through as anger. Fortunately, Rei understood his tone and sighed._

"_There were some complications in the surgery," Rei's voice muttered on the other end of the connection. "He's alright now, ad we've seen him. But…"_

_Mr. Dickenson frowned. He didn't like where this conversation was going. "Yes?" he spoke hesitantly._

"We saw things…on Kai…" 

_He closed his eyes as Rei spoke of things he shouldn't know. "Who else saw?" he asked tiredly. _

_There was a hesitant pause before Rei answered. "Everyone…"_

_Rei stared at the doctor as he explained about what they had found on Kai. He looked over to where the rest of his team was seated and found their expressions the same as his; shocked. _

_Kenny had fainted as soon as he had heard and was still white-faced and slumped unconscious in the chair. Tyson and Max were both pale and shocked, their mouths shut tightly, not wanting to interrupt the doctor and Hilary…Hilary was crying. _

_Rei turned his attention back to the speaking doctor. _

"_The scars running down his back have obviously been caused by some sort of whip – maybe one with two metal spikes on the end – and possible knives have done some of the damage. There is multiple scarring on his chest and stomach area and a particularly nasty one runs down from his right shoulder blade to his left hip, cutting diagonally across his chest. I think it is from an operation of some sort."_

_Rei gasped at the last part of the sentence. They had never seen Kai without a shirt on, and now they knew why. Kai had a past that he was even afraid of letting out. _

"_Oh, Kai…"_

_The doctor let them into the room where Kai was recovering from the surgery and Rei closed his eyes at the scene before him._

"_There are also wounds on his back consistent with broken glass and scars on shi legs, arms and hands that seem to have been made by beyblades-" _

_The doctor was cut off by the gasps and Rei looked down at the unconscious captain. His face was startling pale, his cobalt blue tattoos standing out even more than what they had ever done. Many different tubes and wires were coming in and out of his prone body, giving him the essential fluids and vitamins that Kai wouldn't be able to get. His lips were slightly blue from the cold and many nasty bruises covered his face and upper torso. White bandages stained a light red were wrapped tightly around his chest and disappeared below the blanket that was pulled up to just above his stomach. _

_Kai's breathing was short and raspy, signaling the fact that he had received some damage to his lungs. The respirator hissed as it pumped air into the unconscious teen's lungs and Rei smiled sadly at the sound. Kai seemed too strong to have to depend on machines to keep him alive, yet here he was, relying on many different machines to keep him breathing, to keep his heart beating. Rei hoped like hell that he would never have to see _anyone_ like that again._

_end flashback_

"Hey!" came the call from Tyson Granger – three-time world champion. There was a chorus of 'hey' back and he grinned.

Pulling the microphone closer to him, he began to speak to the large audience gathered. There were many TV station's reporters situated outside the training stadium as it wasn't every day that the world's top beyblading teams gathered in one place for something other than a beyblade tournament.

"As you all know, our captain has been missing for a couple of days now…"

The stadium went quiet at those words and Tyson chose to continue speaking. "Yesterday, Kai was found, alive-" The world champ was cut off as the stadium filled with yells and cheers.

"He was found, but is now in hospital in intensive care…" The stadium quietened down at that statement. They were all shocked. Everyone knew that Kai would have had to been hurt, but intensive care?

Lee gasped at the news of Kai being in hospital. The strong Russian blader had been hospitalized? He ran a hand through his black hair and glanced up at his former teammate; Rei. He looked happy enough and Lee concluded that Kai must be somewhat okay for him to look that way. Smiling, he waved to the Nekojin and got a grin back in return. Yeah, Kai was going to be okay…

A/N: this is for **Elemental Gypsy**

Miguel covered his mouth with his hands as Tyson spoke of Kai being in intensive care. His eyes widened in fear of the blue-haired Russian being hurt badly. He wouldn't ever admit it to anyone, but deep down, he had feelings for the stoic teen. Somehow, Kai had managed to capture his heart. However, Miguel knew that he didn't have a hope in hell of getting him. He didn't even know if Kai swung his way…

_What if Kai died…?_

Miguel then saw the grin upon Tyson's face and wondered if there was more that the world champ wanted to say…the grin got wider and Miguel smiled as well. Tyson Granger would not be smiling as much as he was if Kai was in serious trouble. Relieved, the blonde haired blader slumped in his seat and wished for his secret love to get better and quick.

Julia sat down quickly as the words of Kai were spoken. She couldn't believe the strong and silent Russian teen would have to be admitted to hospital. She watched her brother gasp along with most of the other people in the stadium and wished for everything to be okay, for Kai to be okay. Yeah sure, he was an arrogant son of a bitch at times, but he didn't deserve what had happened to him after his match with Brooklyn. Nobody did.

Johnny felt his eyes widen drastically as Tyson told everyone about Kai being in hospital and in intensive care. The red-haired teen had always thought that Kai was strong and wouldn't let anyone get in his way, but obviously he had been wrong. Kai wasn't invincible; he was only human…just like the rest of them. He just hoped that the stoic teen would get better and fast.

Emily gasped and felt a lone tear streak from beneath her glasses. Deep down, she had always liked the cold, arrogant Russian teen. He had always been cold and hurtful to her, but she had ignored the comments and taken them in her stride. It just made her happy that he had seen her for long enough to actually insult her.

_Please, Kai. Get better soon…_

Bryan watched from the back of the stadium and smirked as he heard Tyson spit out the news about his friend. Of course, he knew better than to listen to Tyson winding the crowd up. Kai was fine. He had always been fine. Well, sort of…

He shook his head and stalked out of the training stadium, only to meet with dozens of camera and microphones being shoved in his face. Thinking wisely, he rushed back inside.

_You'll pay for that, Kai. _He thought, knowing his startled face would be all over the TV that night…

Tyson cleared his throat at the awkward and shocked silence that followed his earlier statement. He had tried to look solemn and afraid, but for some reason he couldn't keep the grin off his face.

"Hey!" he yelled and watched as the whole crowd of world-class beybladers jumped. He laughed. It wasn't every day you saw that!

"I would just like to tell you, that Kai has woken up and that he will be fine with a lot of rest and…and…" he was lost for words, "umm…and…food!" he exclaimed, his face breaking out in another wide grin again. Everyone in the crowd sweat dropped and Tyson grinned even more.

He could see the huge relief on some of the beybladers faces and smiled. He was glad that eh could tell them the good news and not have to wait and wait like he had had to.

"I would like to add something, Tyson," spoke a voice from behind everyone. Tyson looked and saw Bryan standing at the back of the crowd, his gaze piercing through.

"Ahhh…oh…okay," he stammered and watched, fearfully as the Russian balder walked – no, stalked – up to the podium.

When he reached the microphone, he began to speak. "As you all know, my captain was hospitalized after a psychotic battle. He was left in a coma and hospitalized. Yesterday…Tala woke up."

There was a loud cheer from the crowd and Tyson felt his mouth drop open.

"Tyson!" someone yelled and he turned to see his best friend; Max standing behind him, laughing, "close your mouth!"

Tyson turned to Bryan. "Tala's awake?" he asked, confusion evident in his gaze.

The Russian blader nodded curtly. "Yeah."

"We gotta tell Kai!" The other's eyes widened at the fact that Kai didn't know that Tala was awake. "Let's go!"

With that, G Revolution rushed out the stadium into the waiting pit of reporters and cameras and jumped into the waiting car, wanting to get to Kai as quick as possible.

* * *

Voltaire grimaced as pain ripped through his wrist. Staring at it, he saw a glint of white beneath the bloody skin and realized that the bone had pierced it. Growling deep in his throat, the CEO of BioVolt tried to sit up. It was hard as his left wrist was broken and of course, the obvious fact that he couldn't feel anything below his waist.

Eventually he managed to pull himself upright and lean against the trunk of a burnt tree. It had taken him a fair while to fall asleep the night before as the pain from his wrist had become almost unbearable was unnerving – to say the least – that he couldn't feel his legs at all.

He knew that he wasn't in the best of condition and needed to be found soon.

_But what if that bastard, Boris has converted all my men to his side? He _was_ the one who planted the bomb…_

Voltaire cried out as he moved his wrist in the wrong way and clenched his eyes closed to fight the pain. A sudden though ripped through his mind. A thought about his grandson…and what he had done to him in his lifetime.

Is this the kind of pain he was put through? 

A/N: don't shoot me! ducks random objects being thrown Hehe. And no, Voltaire is NOT going to be a nice person from now on. Hehe, don't worry; I'm not losing my mind. Voltaire is still a bad guy

Shaking the thought from his head, Voltaire laughed. If his idiot grandson could put up with the pain, then so could he. "Don't worry, Kai," he whispered menacingly, "you won't get away from me."

He paused to catch his breath and softly rubbed his pained wrist. "Boris…you will pay also. Don't you worry about that…"

The sound of a helicopter came into hearing range and Voltaire smirked as he recognized the world-wide feared logo on the side of the mean looking 'chopper. A few men jumped out carrying a stretcher and raced over to him, concerned. 

"Lord Voltaire! Are you alright?"

Voltaire shook his head and told them that he couldn't move his legs, that he was paralysed.

They strapped him to the stretcher and Voltaire still had an evil smile on his face as he was given morphine and placed in the helicopter. The last sound he heard before drifting off into unconsciousness was the sound of worried voices and the helicopter's rotor blades starting to whirl around.

* * *

Boris' lips were curved upwards in a smirk that suddenly turned to a snarl as he saw the team he despised so much exit the training stadium and dash into a waiting car. His eyes flashed dangerously as he watched the car drive away, with G Revolution in it.

Growling slightly deep in his throat, the second-in-command of BioVolt Corporation clenched his fists together and waited until the car was gone before coming out from his hiding place behind the wall of reporters.

He looked at the stadium in all its glory and inhaled a breath of fresh air. The plan was ingenious. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it earlier. Although the main candidates were gone – G Revolution – all of the others were still inside and that pleased him greatly.

Pulling out a small black radio, he pressed a button and a static crackle emitted from the small radio. Seconds later a voice broke through the static.

_"Alpha One here. Is that you Balkov?"_

Boris hissed. "What did I say about not using names!?"

There was a rushed apology from the other end and Boris knew he had Voltaire's men where he wanted them – under his control. They were afraid of him, of what he had done and that worked perfectly.

"Good, Alpha One. Now, are you in position?"

"_Yes, Leader. Everyone is in position and ready to deploy."_

Nodding to something behind him, Boris pressed the 'talk' button again. "Good. Now when I give the signal you will deploy from your positions and start the operation."

_"Yes Sir!"_

The static returned and Boris' smirk came back. He was very pleased with the updates and everything was working perfectly and according to plan. Voltaire wouldn't know what the hell had happened and how his _second-in-command_ had got a hold of his men and pulled off the operation, and the world also would know what had hit them…

"Right, he spoke into a smaller, more concealed microphone attached to a headset resting on his head, "I want H1 and H2 to deploy before Alpha One. Alpha One has been compromised. I want H1 and H2 to continue with the operation. Alpha One will have to be terminated at once. See that it happens."

Boris nodded and smiled again at the reply he received. "Good. Now go!"

Boris whistled as he returned to the shadows and he continued to watch the reporters and cameras flash at the stadium, wondering when the rest of the bladers would come out. They all desperately wanted to know what G Revolution had wanted with the world's best bladers, but no one had said a thing and everyone was none the wiser. Just how Boris wanted it…

* * *

Tala was propped up against the pillows, his ice-blue eyes wandering around the room that he had been in for the last few weeks – in a coma. Bryan had told him that he was going to the 'talk' that Tyson had organized about Kai's condition and Spencer and Ian were both asleep.

His mind flitted to his best friend, who was only a few rooms down the hall from him. He couldn't believe what Kai had been through and the fact that he had been admitted to hospital. He also couldn't believe the news that had leaked a day ago. The Hiwatari mansion was in ruins. Someone had blown it to smithereens and Voltaire and any one else who had been working there hadn't been found yet. Tala was hoping like hell that Voltaire was dead, so Kai could get on with his life in peace.

Unfortunately, there was still the problem of Boris and Tala knew that Boris was a hell of a lot more evil than Voltaire could ever be. If only the police knew that, then they would stop looking for Voltaire's damn body and work on capturing the sick-minded purple-haired freak, as Bryan called him.

Tala ran a hand through his unruly red hair and looked out the window that captured a view that was stunning. The sky was blue as Tala could remember and a memory ran through his head at the sight of the blue sky.

_flashback_

"_Tala!" called a blue-haired boy about the age of three. He was running and stumbling to try and catch up to his friend, his crimson eyes shining with happiness. _

"_Kai!" giggled the redhead. "You're here!"_

_The sun was shining in a perfect blue sky as the friends sat on the park swings and talked to each other as their parents sat on the benches a few meters away. _

"_Tals?"_

_The redhead looked up from where he was examining a worm in the ground and stared into his friend's curiously __coloured__ eyes. "Yeah, Kai?"_

"_Mummy said I can stay night!" he paused and then carried on, his voice high-pitched and happy. "Tonight!"_

_Tala gasped and jumped off his swing and tackled his best friend off his. They landed in a heap on the muddy ground, yelling and smiling happily. _

"_Thanks Mummy!"_

_Once again, the boys rolled around on the ground, laughing. They never wanted the day to end. _

_end flashback_

Tala sighed as he remembered that day. He recalled that he and Kai had had so much fun that night, sneaking around his house, thinking that they were so smart that his parents hadn't found them yet. Later, though, they found out that his parents had known all along and were watching them, letting them have a bit of fun before it was really time to go to bed.

"Oh, Kai," he whispered from beneath the oxygen mask strapped to his face, "what happened to us?"

Tala watched as a mother bird landed on the windowsill outside his room. The larger bird had a worm in it's mouth and Tala watched, intrigued, as it split the worm in half and gave a part to each of the two smaller, baby birds that were chirping in the makeshift nest. He smiled and observed the baby birds devour the meal that their mother had gathered for them.

Tala only wished that he too, still had a mother to care and love for him. But he didn't, and life was life. He had been alone since he was four, and didn't know why he was thinking these thoughts now.

_Why are these thoughts surfacing now? What triggered them? Was it Kai?_

Rubbing his tired eyes, Tala looked at his sleeping one last time before he lay back down on the hospital bed and tried to get at least a little bit of sleep. Just as he succumbed to the darkness of sleep, he heard shouting and worried voices coming from outside his door. Dismissing them, the Russian teen closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Kai lay on his bed, flipping through the channels on the TV. There was nothing on that remotely interested him, so he switched it off and looked up at the grey, boring ceiling, his thoughts wandering to Tala. The redhead had awoken from the coma and Kai desperately wanted to see the Russian teen, but the doctors had refused him to leave his bed at any costs.

He hadn't been happy with the news, but had complied. Tyson and the others had left before he could tell them about Tala waking up, something about telling everyone the good news…

Sighing, he looked to his left to stare at the blue, red and green beyblade that was sitting on the bedside cabinet. The bitchip was empty and that alone tore at Kai's heart. Dranzer had left him, even if it was to save his life. Dranzer had kept him safe, warm…she was one of his closest friends and she had left him. He couldn't count the number of times she had saved his life and now…she was gone.

Wiping a stray tear from his face, Kai forced himself to stop crying. Dranzer was gone; there was no point in crying over what he could not change.

That's not true! His mind screamed at him. And you know it! Oh god, Dranzer. Why'd you have to leave…? 

Screwing his eyes shut against the mental pain, Kai took in a deep shuddering breath and gasped. An immense pain ripped through his chest and he struggled to breathe through the force of it.

Panicking, he reached over with shaking hands and pushed the small, red button that was the emergency button. A loud wail came from a speaker somewhere and Kai felt his vision start to darken. He needed to stay awake, he knew that, but for some reason his body wasn't obeying him.

_Someone, anyone, help!_

As his vision faded to black, he saw many doctors and nurses come rushing into his room and try and stop his body from convulsing. He cried out in pain and heard voices talking around him.

"Get him into surgery, now!"

"Heart rate increasing! He's panicking!"

"Go, go, go! Operating theatre two, on the double!"

"Hang on kid…" were the last words Kai heard before he slipped from the realm of consciousness and was embraced by a blanket of darkness.

* * *

Boris licked his lips as he realized what was about to unfold. He could not wait to see everyone's reactions as the operation unfolded and everything was revealed. Pulling up his black turtleneck sweater sleeve, he looked at the time on his diamond-incrusted watch and felt a smirk tugging at his usually emotionless lips.

"Time to go," he whispered. He pulled out the black radio and pressed the 'talk' button.

"Okay, H1 and H2, do you copy?"

"_H1 copies, Sir."_

"_H2 copies, Sir."_

"Right. Now, in five minutes I will give the signal. Three minutes after that, you will begin the operation, is that clear?"

"_Yes, Sir!" _came the reply from both H1 and H2.

Five minutes later, Boris pressed the talk button again. This time, instead of talking, he pressed the button again three more times. The signal had been sent. Now all it was was a waiting game. In three minutes, everything would be clear and known and the chaos would begin.

**Should I stop it there??? Nah, I'll carry on. I'm not THAT mean…or am I? hehe**

Three minutes later, Boris heard the first screams of terror and he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Everything would work out according to plan and Kai would once again be his…

_**

* * *

**_

Bryan's eyes widened as he saw the armed men come crashing through certain places in the stadium, guns held in front of their bodies. His eyes widened further as he saw the logo on the shoulder of their black combat webbing.

"BioVolt…"

Within seconds they were surrounded and Bryan was forced to the ground along with the rest of the world's top beybladers. As he lay on the ground, Bryan couldn't help wondering if the whole hostage situation was Voltaire's plan or if Boris had deceived everyone and gone at it alone…

Whatever the answer, everyone in the stadium was now in deep trouble and Bryan had no way of getting all of them out without anyone getting hurt. He screwed his eyes shut and thought about his team and what they would have done in the situation.

_Tala, Spencer, Ian, Kai… _he begged, _please…help…_

Bryan almost whimpered as he felt someone's gloved hand brush his face and started trembling as the men realized that they had one of the Abbey's prized bladers in the stadium. It was like a dream come true for them.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, G Revolution arrived to find that their captain had been taken back into surgery and his condition was rapidly decreasing.

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**The end! Hehe. I got this chapter up quicker than the last! Yay! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't hurt me for leaving it where I did! ducks flying objects**

**If you're reading this, thanks soooo much for reading this fic. It means a lot! **

**Until next time!**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_

**By the way, sorry to all of those who read and review my other fic; Emotions. I am currently working on the next chapter for it, but I kinda got tied up with this fic. Sorry!**


	6. Consequences

**Here is the newest installment of Inner Fury Of Fire! I typed this up really quick and gave all you WONDERFUL REVIEWERS a nice, quick update! Hope you enjoy just as much as I enjoyed writing it **

**It is a very long chapter, this one. Over 5000 words….hehe**

**THERE IS A SURPRISE JUST FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO HAVE REVIEWED!! You all wanted this thing to happen…so I made it happen! Read and find out what….

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**

A special thanks to...

kavbj - I have updated sooner than I normally would! Just because all of my wonderful reviewers wanted a quick update hope you like this chapter! Thanks for the review!

FlyingShadow666 - You like Miguel/Kai??? I have recently found out that a LOT of people do...I never really thought about it before I wrote it...oh well, I'm glad you are happy! yes, Voltaire is a bastard - it's the plan...hehe - you will know what happens next if you read this chapter! Thanks for the review! P.S - Boris is a bastard too! mwha ha ha ha ha...

BeMyfRIeND4eVA - hehe, I bet you are happy that I have updated! just a word of warning though, I don't normally update this fast...hope you like this chapter. Thanks for the review!

d1bontemp - thanks for the review! I am not completely sure if it is the only yaoi in the fic. Although, Kai WILL be staying straight. I dont even know if there will be any pairings...yet. If there is mre yaoi, it will only be in small ammounts hope you enjoy this chap!

n-zelda-n - thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter it makes me happy! hehe. And yes, Dranzer is a female. About killing Boris...i would love to kill him too! If you come up with any ideas about a unique and torturous way to get rid of him...do tell! evil cackle hope you enjoy this chap!

Destiny Quill - once again, thanks for the LONG review! hehe. Also thank you for pointing out the whole BIOVOLT thing. I have changed it in this chapter to what it really should be and you liked the Miguel/Kai??? a lot of people seem to do...I might add some more in...maybe...depends on how things go. And just for you, I might add in some Brooklyn too grins Bryan...you will just have wait and see what happens to him...mwha ha ha ha ha!!! hope you enjoy this chapter! it's especially long!

Cailany - The **"It was like a dream come true for them" **means that the BIOVOLT soldiers knew where Bryan had come from - the Abbey - and knew what he had been through. It was like a dream come true for them, because now they could torture him some more...thanks for the review and i hope you enjoy this chapter!

xXUrbanRegalityXx - one of the best??? really? I feel so honoured!!! Thank you! Wow, your comments made me feel all happy inside!!! Anyways, I have updated and I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the wonderful review!

Elemental Gypsy - no...thank you! for reviewing! You have been a loyal reviewer so I thought I would add a little somthing for you I'm glad you liked it so much! There might be - depending on the reponse I get - some more Miguel/Kai in this fic too...Oh by the way, I seem to have a fixation for cliffhangers...hehe. I hope the ending of this chapter isn't too much of a cliffy...it probably is though...About Boris and Kai...you'll have to read and find out! hehe : ) And yes, I do plan on Miguel revealing his feelings...but how will Kai take it???? Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Without further ado, here is chapter 6!**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**_DancerInTheDark101_**

* * *

**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 6: Consequences**

"Earlier today, reports of a gathering that included the world's best beybladers were confirmed. Tyson Granger of the World Champion Team; G Revolution and two-time reigning world champion gathered the top teams in the world and was apparently informing them of their captain's situation."

"_But before we could get any information on the downed blader from out sources, the champion team rushed out of the BBA training stadium and into a waiting car. We are currently waiting for the other teams to emerge from the building, which has been tightly sealed, but so far no one has emerged."_

"_Just in! Our sources _have_ confirmed that the remaining teams in the BBA training building have been taken hostage by an unknown team of men! Inside are the teams: White Tiger X, the All Starz, the Majestics, Barthez Battalion, F Dynasty and Bryan from the Blitzkrieg Boys. We are not certain of who has taken the teams hostage or why, but police are working their hardest to get inside the building and rescue the trapped bladers. There has been some speculation in the midst of the reporters' area that the seemingly invincible BIOVOLT Corporation is behind the attack, but nothing has been proved yet. We will update you on the situation as we receive more information"_

"Katie Aerial-Smith, Channel Nine News, out." 

Tala watched the TV, shocked. His mind was doing flips in his head and a rather painful headache was coming along. Bryan had gone to the stadium to inform everyone of his awakening and Tala felt a large wave of guilt come crashing into him. It was only because he had sent Bryan to the stadium that he was in the situation now. If BIOVOLT had been behind the attack, then Bryan was in some serious trouble.

_Oh god, Bry. What the hell did I do? I should have known that something would have happened…I mean, what wouldn't happen? Every bloody top team in the world was in that stadium at the same time! What was I thinking!?!_

Groaning at his stupidity, the red-haired Russian clenched his fist and watched as the screen changed to that of the stadium. An imposing looking man was standing outside, his hand pointing to various parts of the building. It looked as though he was trying to figure out where the bladers would be being held. They were trying to get them out.

Tala knew that the police didn't have a high hope in hell of getting into the stadium and rescuing the trapped bladers. The men who worked for BIOVOLT were either ex-special forces, ex-law enforcers or were ordinary men who had undergone and survived rigorous training. The men – and women – who were employed for BIOVOLT were at the top of their game, in fitness and in their area of expertise. No normal police officer would be able to break through their defenses; they were just too good.

"Tala!" broke a voice through his train of thoughts, bad ones at that.

He turned his head away from the TV and blinked as his vision wavered a little. Beside his bed stood the remaining two members of his team – Spencer and Ian. Fear was etched into their expressions and Tala swallowed. They were afraid, afraid for themselves and afraid for Bryan who was stuck in the stadium with the other bladers.

"Tala…Bryan, he's…he's there, with them…"

A lone tears escaped from an ice-blue eye and streaked down his pale face. "Yeah I know, Ian. I just saw it on the TV. He'll be okay…he has to be."

Tala didn't believe what he had just said and his tone saw that being relayed to his teammates. Tala was afraid, he didn't want the others to know, but for some reason he couldn't keep the fear from his voice.

Just as Tala slumped back against the pillows, his mind racing, the door slammed open and a breathless and wheezing Tyson Granger appeared in the doorway. His face was red from running and the red-haired Russian frowned.

_What the hell is Granger doing here?_

"Tala…Kai…surgery…" Tyson rambled in between his deep breaths.

Ice-blue eyes widened at the words from the navy-haired blader and Tala shot back up in his bed. "What!?!"

Tyson regained some of his breath and gulped in a large breath of oxygen. "Kai's been taken back into surgery…I just thought that you should know, Tala."

"Wh…what?" stammered the Russian teen, "back in sur-surgery?"

Tala's mind was running circles, trying hard to process the shocking information he had just been given. First Bryan and now Kai…

Outside, the sun was shining and Tala could hear many different kinds of birds chirping from their nests in the nearby trees. Their songs created a melodious tune that, surprisingly, started to calm him down a little and think a little straighter. Running a pale hand through his flaming red hair, the teen sighed and slumped backwards again, the pillows catching his fall.

"Oh god…first Bryan…now Kai…"

"Huh?" Tala looked over to where the three remaining members of G Revolution were standing. They were all confused and Tala wondered if they had been told about the 'incident' at the stadium. Somehow, he doubted it and his suspicions were confirmed a few seconds later when Tyson piped up.

"Tala…Bryan? What's up?" questioned the boy, his face scrunched up in confusion.

Tala took a deep breath and readied himself to tell the reigning world champions the bad news. He knew that they would take it hard, since it _was_ them who had organized the meet and therefore, they would probably start to blame themselves. Tala didn't want to deal with self-pity at the moment, which was funny because a few minutes ago he was wallowing in it himself. All he wanted to do was find a way to Bryan out of that hellhole, as well as the rest of the bladers and put Boris – or whoever was in charge – in jail.

"It's the stadium…" he began. He could hear his voice shaking a little and he ordered it to stop. It didn't obey and when he started speaking again, he found that the shaking had actually gotten worse. "Everyone inside is in danger…someone's taken them hostage…"

"WHAT!?!"

Wincing at the loudness of the voices chorusing together, Tala closed his eyes as he felt the stares of the three bladers.

"Who was still in the building, Tala?" This time it was a quiet, conservative voice that spoke and Tala opened his ice-blue orbs to see Rei staring at him intently.

"Everyone…" was all he offered. There was a long stretch of silence and Tala realized that they wanted him to name the teams still in the building with the take-over had happened.

The red-haired Russian rubbed his face with his hands, trying hopelessly to rid his face of the weariness threatening to take over. "The All Starz, White Tiger X, Barthez Battalion, F Dynasty, the Majestics…and Bryan…"

The end of his speech was met with more silence and Tala looked up, shocked. He had heard a small whimper and his gaze landed on the remaining members of G Revolution. All of them were crying and Tala felt their grief hit him like a hammer. They felt really guilty and for some reason, Tala couldn't soothe them. He blamed them just as much as they blamed themselves. He couldn't fathom why they hadn't thought of the consequences of bringing every decent blader that could be a threat to anyone into once place at once. His strategic mind just couldn't come up with an answer.

Tala's thoughts were shattered as the hysterical crying reached his sensitive ears. Max and Tyson were clutching each other, sobbing and even Rei had tears silently trailing down his face. Tala felt like he could just bash them right there and then, instead he went for a more – or maybe not – subtle approach.

"SHIT UP!" he bellowed, eyes raging with fury.

They all stopped crying and wailing and looked at the Russian teen lying in the hospital bed, blinking almost systematically. If Tala hadn't been so wound up, he probably would have laughed at the scene. It was hilarious.

"God damn it! You think you got it bad? Huh?" Confusion met his statement and Tala growled deep in his throat. "You are so stupid! One of my_ closest friends_ is in that stadium while my _best friend_ is in surgery fighting for his life! Oh, and I forgot to mention that BIOVOLT is one of the main contenders for the hostage situation! Do you _have any idea_ what will happen to Bryan if it _is_ BIOVOLT!?!"

Again, there was only silence and the blinking was back. Tala glared at them as a hand was placed on his shoulder and he watched, satisfied, as their gazes dropped to the ground. They were ashamed of their behaviour and Tala wasn't about to say sorry for what he had said. They had deserved it.

"Tala…"

Tala turned at the soft voice and was met with Spencer's concerned gaze. He smiled slightly and nodded his head to show that he was going to be okay. "It's okay, Spence. I'll be okay. I'm just worried that's all…" he whispered in Russian to his friend. "Bryan'll be okay. He's strong enough to survive what they throw at him."

_**

* * *

**_

Bryan winced as the makeshift bandages on his arms aggravated the wounds they were protecting. Small spots of bright bed blood were soaking through the masses of different coloured cloth and Bryan sighed. It had been hours since they had been taken hostage by BIOVOLT and everyone was starting to get restless. Some were hurt whilst others were just worried and getting bored. Nothing exciting had happened in a while – excitement meaning hostage negotiators, police etc.

Just after they had been surrounded and forced to the ground, a few of the armed men had dragged him away and beat him until he was black and blue. For some odd reason, they hadn't touched his chest or legs, but instead had aimed for his arms and face. Half an hour later they had let him go with multiple cuts and bruises covering his pale arms and face. That was when everyone had given up some of the clothing – sweatshirts, jackets – for him to wrap around the large cuts on his arms.

Many of the bladers had come over and talked to him while he wrapped his arms up and surprisingly, he hadn't minded. Most of them were the stronger bladers of the teams and the weaker ones had stayed behind with their teams. Bryan also didn't mind that. He had no time for the weaklings. He needed the strong bladers on his side so that he could try and figure out a way out of the stadium without anyone getting hurt. If they were to stay in the building overnight, they were pretty much screwed.

Bryan groaned as one of the wounds spilt open again when he moved in the wrong way. He quickly pressed his hand against the wound and tried to stop the bleeding. Pretty soon his hand was covered in the bright red liquid and he swallowed. He was going to need some serious help if his arm didn't stop bleeding. The Russian teen feared that the BIOVOLT men had cut too deep somewhere and severed something they shouldn't have. He was starting to regret ever coming and thought about trying to escape and leave everyone else to fend for themselves, but he knew that they would never make it out alive. Bryan needed to help them escape, otherwise, they never would…

"Bryan?"

The Russian's head shot up at the voice and was shocked to see a pink-haired girl standing in front of him, a bundle of white strips of material in her arms. He vaguely remembered that her name was Mariah and she was from White Tiger X. He also remembered that she seemed to be infatuated with Rei from G Revolution.

"What do you want?" he snapped. He couldn't just change his whole demeanor because they were all trapped together in the same building and would most probably die if they didn't get out.

The response was not one that he expected. "Hmph! Fine then, Mr. I-Don't-Want-Any-Help-So-I'll-Just-Bleed-To-Death. Suit yourself."

She began to walk off, a scowl prominent on her feline-like face. "Wait!" he called out, cringing at the desperation in his voice.

Mariah turned and flicked her pink hair out of her face. "What do you want now?"

Shocked, Bryan blinked methodically. He could feel the shock on his face and he also knew that she could see it as well. It wasn't every day that someone, let alone a _female_, spoke to him like that…

"Well?" she spoke, her voice clipped with venom. "I'm waiting."

Stumbling over his own words, Bryan tried hard not to make more of a fool of himself in front of everyone there. He was just glad that the BIOVOLT men weren't there to see the girl's feisty attitude. She would have got in some serious trouble if they were.

Bryan bit his lower lip as he struggled to think of what to say to the Nekojin girl. Obviously she saw his discomfort, as she walked back over and started to unwrap the existing bandages and wrapped his arms back up in clean, white ones.

"Where'd you get the bandages from?" he asked, frowning. Where _did_ she get them?

"Lee gave them to me." Bryan knew who Lee was. He was the leader of White Tiger X and had always had white bandages of sorts wrapped around his wrists. Looking over to where the Nekojin team was sitting, he saw that Lee didn't have the white strips around his wrists and Bryan mentally thanked the boy.

"Ahhh!"

Bryan was snapped out of his reverie as the scream shot through his senses. He looked back to where the pink-haired girl had been standing only moments before and gasped. A BIOVOLT man with a large, silver knife was gripping her tightly against his chest. The mentioned knife was pressed up against her throat and Bryan could see the quivers of her slim body.

"Let…her…go…" he spoke menacingly. When there was no reply, he got angry. "God damn it, you ugly freak! LET HER GO!"

All of the teens and BIOVOLT men/soldiers turned at his shouting, but Bryan didn't care. All he cared about was the safety of everyone in the building and that was including the annoying pink-haired thing in front of him.

"And why should I…Bryan?" the man sneered; showing his perfectly aligned, white teeth. There was something sinister in his voice and Bryan backed away a little. For some reason the man's voice was familiar, but he couldn't place from where he had heard it before.

"Do I know you?" he asked, his lilac eyes flashing in the bright artificial lights of the stadium.

"You _used_ to know me…Obviously you don't anymore, but I definitely remember _you_." The man laughed as the pressed the blade harder onto Mariah's throat. There was a strangled scream from the girl and Bryan growled, and then launched himself at the man.

As Bryan rushed towards the man, he saw – no, felt – a few men run round behind him, taking positions with their guns raised. He paid them no attention and focused on the job at hand. Bryan noticed that everything was quiet in the stadium and smirked as he realized that everyone was most probably watching his every move, trying to figure out what he was going to do.

Yelling, the Russian plowed into the shocked BIOVOLT man and skidded across the floor on top of him, pounding his face in. Mariah fell out of the man's grasp and went flying in a different direction, only to get up and scuttle towards her waiting team who embraced her with open arms.

Bryan threw another punch at the downed man and watched blood sprout from his newly broken nose. Smirking, he launched a fist into his gut but gasped at the pain that reverberated through his hand. Mouth agape, Bryan shook his hand and made a mental note not to that again.

_Do NOT do that again, Bryan. Metal armour is not the best thing to punch…_

Suddenly, the man beneath him started to struggle and managed to land a nasty right hook below his left eye. Hissing in pain, Bryan managed to dodge another punch and rolled to the left of the man. A second later a gunshot was heard and the wooden floor splintered, where he had been only a moment before. Breathing heavily, he pushed himself up painfully and grimaced as his right ankle protested at the weight now residing on it.

"What, you got no steam left, Bryan?" taunted the BIOVOLT soldier.

Bryan hissed at the soldier. He no longer thought of the hostage takers as men anymore – in his mind, they were soldiers. Taking a brief look at his surroundings, Bryan smiled as he realized there was more than one thing that he could use to his advantage, even if he was injured.

"Perfect…" he whispered, trying to catch the soldier's attention. The ploy worked and Bryan laughed quietly. Everything was going just as he wanted…

"Why are you laughing, you little runt?"

Cocking his head to the side innocently, the lilac-haired Russian batted his eyelashes seductively. "What do you mean? I'm not doing anything." He had raised the pitch of his voice slightly and he smiled as the soldiers looked at each other, confused.

_Perfect…_

"What's wrong with you, you sicko?" spoke one of the soldiers, his voice laced with disgust.

"Nothing's wrong with me…it's you!" Bryan screamed as he once again, launched himself forwards.

Only this time, he wasn't going towards the BIOVOLT men, but to the side of them. The large metal poles that had been stacked in neat piles loomed into view and Bryan smirked again. He skidded across the floor and neatly picked one up on his way past and pushed hard against the rest so that they broke from the tidy, pyramid shape they had been in. The pipes began to roll uncontrollably across the floor towards the shocked BIOVOLT soldiers and before they had a chance to react, the pipes slammed into their legs. A loud cracking filled the air as bones broke and the men tumbled to the ground.

Their screams echoed throughout the stadium and Bryan ran. He ran past all the shocked teams and yelled at them to follow him.

"Come on! This might be the only and last chance we have of getting out of here!"

The teams quickly got up and started rushing after the lilac-eyed Russian blader, not wanting to be left behind.

As they ran, Bryan had a sinking feeling descending in his gut. His eyes darted left and right, trying to find a way out through the maze of corridors. He could hear all the other trapped bladers behind him and wished like hell that they would make it out. Otherwise…he didn't want to think about the consequences of not making it out. Breathing the air in, the lilac-haired blader rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. In front of him stood the man he thought was worse than the devil himself.

In front of him stood Boris Balkov.

_

* * *

_

Kai ventured into the dark abyss that seemed to have enveloped his mind and body. There was no light what so ever in wherever he was. It was as though the light had been sucked out and replaced by an empty vacuum of nothingness. All the warmth seemed to have disappeared as well and he shivered. He was so cold. Normally when he was in a place like this, Dranzer would be near him to help warm his heart and soul, but she was gone now and her warmth would never warm him again.

As Kai wandered through the abyss, thoughts rushed to his head in an alarming rate.

_Tala…Bryan…Ian…Spencer…Mum…Dad…someone…help…_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Once upon a time**_

_**We used to burn candles**_

_**We had a place to call a home**_

_**

* * *

**_

Memories raced through his mind. Somehow his sub-consciousness was trying to tell him of something, maybe an impending danger or traumatic event, but Kai wasn't sure what it was or even if he was right.

Images of his life-long friends appeared before him, their smiles disappearing and blood starting to seep through their blue lips. Their faces went from pale, to white, to an unnatural grey that could only be seen in dead bodies. The laughter that had once accompanied them in their youth was replaced by terrified screams that pierced even the most darkened and soulless hearts.

_**

* * *

**_

_**The dream that we lived**_

_**Was better than divine**_

_**Every day was a gift**_

_**Once upon a life**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Tala…" Kai whispered in his hoarse voice. Flashes of their life before their parents were murdered came before his crimson orbs. His hands began to shake as their deaths were relayed over and over again, each one worse and more descriptive than the last. Crying out in mental pain, Kai doubled over tears streaming from his closed eyes.

A sharp pain that felt like a thousand volts of electricity burned through his body. Kai cried out again, this time the pain physical. "Dranzer!" he screamed to his lost friend. His pain threshold reached its maximum and Kai dropped to what seemed to be water. The water-like liquid was inky black in colour and seemed to swirl about his knees and hands. He was on all fours as the pain assaulted him again and again. There seemed to be no end to the pain.

His breath coming in short sharp gasps, Kai screamed aloud. His body felt like he was on fire, the burning heat scorching his nerves, sending unbearable shocks of pain through his system. Begging for it all to stop, the once great Kai Hiwatari collapsed into the water-like liquid and gasped as it soothed the burning. Then the cold seeped through his clothing and he started to tremble. Shivers wracked his lithe frame, not just from the cold, but from the fear as well. Yes, he was afraid of what might be happening. He knew that it wasn't good and that there was a high possibility that he would die…but Kai didn't want to die. Not just yet anyway…

"Dranzer…please, come back to me…"

Looking up from where he was lying, Kai saw his friends gazing down at him with their corpse-like faces. Staring at the grey pallor of their dead skin, Kai was shocked to see the amount of life still shining through their eyes. Tala's icy blue orbs were burning with a blue flame that he had never seen before in his sixteen years on the earth. They held a passion that could only be the result of years of harsh life and not a lot of love – a passion to live.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Once upon a time**_

_**We had a lot to fight for**_

_**We had a dream, we had a plan**_

_**

* * *

**_

Turning to each of his friends, he saw the exact same thing in their eyes as he had seen in Tala's, albeit, not as strong or bright.

Kai didn't even notice the way his body was cooling down ever so slowly. He was too preoccupied with the faces of his friends – his _brothers_ – who had stuck with him his whole tormented life and given him hope to fight and live.

All of a sudden, Kai gasped. His chest restricted with the movement and he found that he couldn't breathe anymore. Panicking, the blue-haired teen struggled to sit up, but found that the black water had wound tightly around his wrists and ankles, keeping him trapped half-submerged in the liquid. Kai thrashed around, trying to get free but only succeeding in spending more of his precious energy and the oxygen he had left.

After a few seconds, Kai gave up and lay there, staring into nothing. A calm descended over him and Kai smiled grimly. Even if he was too young, he was ready. Ready for the blackness that would be descending over him very soon.

"I'm ready…" he murmured, his voice hitching slightly as the last of his breath ran out and he exhaled one last time before his crimson orbs closed and a soothing, warm feeling overpowered his being.

_**

* * *

**_

_**No reason to lie, no need to pretend**_

_**I'm grateful to die**_

_**To live once again**_

_**I'm fearless to fly**_

_**And reach for the end**_

_**

* * *

**_

The warmth seemed to envelop him and Kai opened his eyes, wondering why there his body was still cold. Wasn't he dead?

A flash of bright red caught his attention and as he turned his head to see what it was that had stopped his supposed imminent death, he gasped, shock registering in his eyes.

"No…I thought…" he stopped as he realized what had happened. Happiness filled his once grief-stricken features and he pulled at the liquid ropes binding him. The ropes snapped with ease and Kai slowly sat up, hoping that what he saw seeing was true.

The water-like substance dripped off him as he struggled to stand. Staggering slightly from the numbness that had seemed to seep through his body, Kai took a tentative step forward. Once his foot hit the ground and he was steady, he took off in a run a smile gracing his slightly blue lips. He ran past the images of his corpse-like friends and towards the bright light. He arrived panting from the exertion and once he realized that it was really real, he grinned – a very rare spectacle – and clutched the light protectively.

The light faded and in its place stood a magnificent golden bird, the feathers glistening red and orange. They seemed to glow even in the blankness that consumed everything else.

"Dranzer…you didn't leave me…"

The great bird chirped happily at her master's heart-wrenching words.

_:No, Master. I never left you:_

"_Dranzer…"_

_**

* * *

**_

_**My love is never ending**_

_**And you and I will never die**_

_**

* * *

**_

They embraced again and Kai buried himself in his faithful companion's feathers. He finally felt safe and warm again, he felt whole.

"Don't ever do this to me again, you hear Dranzer?" his tone was scolding, but playful at the same time. He was just glad to have her back.

_:Don't worry, Master. I will never be leaving you again, not ever:_

_**

* * *

**_

On the table beside a redhead's bed in a hospital, a certain blue beyblade glowed softly and there was a blinding flash as the once empty bitchip was filled with the image of a majestic bird in all her glory.

The redhead gasped as the light blinded him momentarily and his ice blue eyes widened significantly as he saw the picture that now resided in the center of the blue beyblade.

"Dranzer…" he whispered to himself. Everyone else in the room stared at him strangely and Tala grinned at them. "Dranzer's back!"

A loud gasp filled the room and everyone rushed over to see if what Tala was saying was true.

"She _is_ back!" yelled Tyson, his face possessed by a grin. "YES!" He punched a fist into the air, and then grabbed his best friend's hands and danced around in circles with him.

Tala smiled and stared at his best friend's beyblade. A sudden thought entered his head.

_If Dranzer is back, does that mean that Kai's okay? On the other hand, is he…?_

Tala couldn't make himself finish the sentence; it would be too much like signing a death warrant.

The redhead suddenly had the urge to pick up the remote to the TV. He did so and the TV turned on to a channel where the news was on.

"_In further news about the hostage situation at the local BBA training stadium – __rumours__ are flying about the people responsible for the attack. There are many corporations that have been named, but the leading suspect is none other than BIOVOLT Corporation, which a few years ago was blamed for the events that unfolded at the World Championships in Russia. Another suspect is actually the BBA itself…"_

Tala Ivanov gasped at the news; the BBA being a suspect in the hostage taking of the world's top teams? He couldn't and wouldn't believe such nonsense. It had to be BIOVOLT. No other corporation was stupid and desperate enough to do such a thing, Tala was sure of it. Turning back to the TV, he listened to more of the report.

"_A few minutes ago, shots rang out from inside the stadium and it has been confirmed that there are men patrolling the area with the hostages carrying weapons. So far, the police's attempt at getting inside the arena have been futile and proven almost impossible. Whoever secured the stadium has done a very thorough job and left no places unattended."_

"_From outside, we can not tell much about what is happening inside and hostage negotiators are trying their best to reason with the criminals. So far, there has been none contact made, but there have been some breakthroughs. I am not permitted to say what those breakthroughs are for the safety of the hostages, but when I have authorization, you _will _know."_

"_Katie Aerial-Smith, Channel Nine News, out."_

Horrified that there had been no contact made, Tala wiped a stray tear away. There had been shots fired…Bryan would have made it difficult from the minute they realized who he was and Tala only hoped that his friend was okay and alive.

Tala lifted his head as the door to his room opened once again. This time, a nice-looking doctor walked in, a smile on his face.

"Ahh! Tala, you are awake."

The redhead's eyes narrowed as he did a thorough check over of the new doctor. "Yes," he replied, cautious. "I'm awake…now, who are you?"

The doctor looked surprised. His mouth formed an 'o' and Tala almost laughed at the good fish impersonation. "My name is Dr. Leory. I am your friend; Kai Hiwatari's doctor."

Tala perked up at his friend's name. "What about Kai?"

"I was coming to inform you of your friend's awakening. He woke not but a few minutes ago."

Shocked, Tala laughed aloud, unable to stop the sound from escaping his lips. "Thank you!" he exclaimed, happy.

"You are welcome, Tala. You are not able to see him just at this moment, but as soon as there is authorisation, I will take you to him."

Tala smiled and nodded at the doctor in gratitude. "Thank you, again."

The doctor bowed his head and then proceeded to closet the door behind him as he exited the room.

Outside the room, he heard two people talking in hushed whispers and found himself investigation. There was a man – a doctor, a friend of his – and a woman in a nurse's uniform that he didn't recognize.

"Now Iris…" spoke the man, his voice hushed and hurried. "We can't do anything until the security is taken off his room. I know you want to get it over and done with, honey, but we have to play it safe. You know that."

The woman named Iris sighed. "I guess you're right, Chris. But I want it done my way. That boy is a pain in my neck. I tried many times to kill him when I was with him on the helicopter. I almost had him too, when that damn missile slammed into us."

The raven-haired man smiled slightly and leant over, giving the woman a small peck on the cheek.

"Iris Johansson, you _will_ have your revenge. Honey, you know I will never let that brat live…"

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**End of the chapter! Whoo that was a long one! Over 5000 words!!! Longest chapter to date! **

**Dranzer's back!!!! I know a lot of you will be happy to see/read/hear that one!**

**I'm so sorry to those who don't like cliffhangers…but I seem to love them! I can't get away from them…. runs away from mutant cliffhanger**

**The lyrics in this chapter are from a song called **_**Sail Away**_** by my ****favourite band: **_**The Rasmus.**_

**Anyways, please review :)**

**Till next time**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_


	7. Help Me

**Hay there everyone! Another chapter for all you wonderful reviewers! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Just a random note: I live in a place called Nelson in New Zealand and Nelson is known as the sunshine capital of NZ…right? We get the most sunshine in NZ, apparently…Anyways, school was cancelled today because of…TORRENTIAL RAIN!!!!! That's just not right……our school got flooded!!! Which sucked, because the one day school gets closed, I'm off school anyway, sick. Grrrrr. **

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A special thanks to… 

kavbj – One of the best??? I feel so loved! Thank you SOOO much for your wonderful review!!!! Hopefully, you still like me at the end of this chapter…but you'll have to read to find out why! Enjoy

FlyingShadow666 – Thanks! Yes, I seem to love those damn cliffhangers…they don't like leaving me alone…this fic is all about bad guys galore!!! –evil cackle- hope you enjoy this chapter!

d1bontemp – Yes, the good doctor…he isn't actually mentioned in this chapter, but next time! Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

n-zelda-n – I don't actually know if Dranzer is female or not. I prefer Dranzer to be a female though. And yes, Kai WILL be staying straight in this fic. I don't mind a good yaoi, but I don't write them. There will be small amounts of once-sided yaoi, but that's it. Thank you so much for the review!!! I'm all happy inside Enjoy!

geniecat2 – I'm glad that you love it! I love pleasing people with my writing hmmm…Bryan, Kai and the other bladers…you'll just have to read and find out what happens to them……Enjoy!

Destiny Quill – Yes, Iris is one of the, I love evil and twisted twists…whoa…so many compliments! My head's going to get _very_ big at this rate…hehe. Thanks! My pen name…I am in love with The Rasmus (the lead singer is soooo hott!) and Dancer In The Dark was the only song I hadn't heard when I signed up to fanfiction out of seven CDs and countless bonus songs! The thing you wanted…well, I'm sure if you asked for it specifically, but a lot of people wanted Dranzer back so viola! Dranzer is back! By the way, thanks for the suggestion about Kai dying…whoops, I mean the ransom! Hehe. And no, I'm not British. I live in a little country south of Australia called New Zealand with a population of 4 million. We spell things differently down here. –CLIFFHANGERS RULE!!! - Whoa, this is a very long review response…hehe thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

BeMyfRIeND4eVA – I have updated!!! Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter!!!

Nameless Little Girl – I'm glad you loved it! Here is the next chapter…enjoy!

Elemental Gypsy – Yeah, Dranzer's back!!! How are Bryan and the others going to get out? Hehehehe – evil cackle – read and you will find out! There is some Miguel in this chapter too! Just for you and any other Miguel lovers who read this fic too. Iris…she isn't mentioned in this chapter, but maybe, just maybe, you might have to get out your pick axe again………hehe, you love Kiwis!!! Yay! You're awesome too! –huggles Elemental Gypsy- by the way, I have been reading some of your fics and I am currently hooked! I will review some soon, k?!!! Thanks for the review and enjoy!

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 7: Help me**

Bryan felt his breathing start to hitch and shallow as the fear took over. His lilac eyes widened and for some unknown reason to him, his eyes started to fill with crystalline tears. He was frightened and had no idea why this new feeling had suddenly decided to make itself known to him.

His bottom lip trembling ever so slightly, the lilac-haired blader back up a little motioning for the others behind him to do the same. He knew that they would all wondering what the hell was going on, but Bryan didn't want to ruin anything – whatever that may be – because he opened his mouth. Boris would most likely think he was going to attack or run and Bryan didn't know if he had the strength to do so at the very moment.

"Bryan?" came a hushed voice from behind him to his right. Bryan turned his head slightly and saw all of the other blader's eyes on him, confusion on their faces. "What's going on? Who's he?"

The Russian blader didn't answer and he could feel the anxiety and annoyance rise up to meet his fear. He started to get angry himself. They couldn't just obey what he had ordered them to do and not question him? _They have no idea what that man is capable of! Why don't they just let me figure something out!?!_

Groaning, Bryan gripped his head as a headache started to pound at his temples. Boris was just standing in front of him, an evil smirk tugging at his cold, grey lips. Getting worried at what was about to happen, Bryan decided to confront the madman and see what happened…as long as no one else got hurt he was fine with it.

"Boris…you bastard…" whispered Bryan, his voice low and dangerous. "What the hell were you thinking you horror movie reject?"

Boris tsked, his cold eyes rolling. "My, my, my, Bryan. You've developed some balls. I bet it took a lot of guts to say what you just did. You know what I normally do to disobedient boys like you, yes?"

Growling the Russian teen took another step back. He didn't really want to run, it wasn't in his nature, but he knew that for the safety of the others, he would have to. He glanced quickly at the blader's behind him and saw the confusion worsen on their pale and frightened faces. They had no idea what he and Boris were on about and he hoped that it stayed that way.

A thought suddenly struck him and Bryan smirked. Looking behind him, he turned to the blonde-haired blader that went by the name Miguel and started speaking in Spanish to him. Spanish was one of the languages Boris _didn't_ know and Bryan used it to his advantage.

(A/N: the speech from now on is in Spanish).

"Miguel, I need you to get the others out of here when I attack the bastard, okay?"

The Spaniard looked at him strangely and then nodded when Bryan knew that he had seen the fire burning in the depths of his lilac eyes. He responded in Spanish.

"Okay, Bryan. But…what's going on?"

Glancing away from the concerned eyes of the blader, Bryan muttered back. "I can't tell you right now. My main concern is for all of you to get out of here without getting hurt. Now, when I say go, I want you to run, taking the other's with you. Okay?"

Miguel nodded and Bryan sighed in relief. A few moments passed and the Russian saw the extremely agitated look on his former captor's face. He almost laughed at the expression, but delved into his reserves and stopped the smile from reaching his lips.

(A/N: Spanish speaking stops now).

"Boris, this is when you…lose!" Bryan screamed, his fury breaking through and he launched himself at the Russian elder. As he latched onto Boris' neck, Bryan turned and yelled at Miguel.

"Now! Get them out of here!"

His shout rang out through the corridor and Bryan watched as Miguel shouted at the rest of the group to run. They ran past Bryan as he was tackling the monster that was Boris and he caught some of the fearful glances being shot in his direction.

"I'll be fine!" he shouted out at them. "Run! Get out of here!" He was cut off as he grunted in pain. Boris had managed to grab his arm and twist it in a direction he didn't like and throw him to the ground.

Clenching his eyes shut in agony, Bryan sat up quickly and gasped as a white-hot pain ran through his now broken wrist. His wrist was hanging at and odd angle; his fingers were practically facing his elbow.

Standing up, the lilac-haired Russian stared at Boris who was focused on something else. The BIOVOLT second-in-command was staring at the door in which the other captured bladers had disappeared through. Bryan coughed and cleared his throat, getting Boris' attention.

"Well?" was all he said and he saw the confusion start to cover Boris' face.

"Well, what?" Boris sneered. "What can _you_ do to _me_, you little wretch?"

Bryan snorted as if what Boris had said was the funniest thing in the world. "_I_ can do a hell of a lot to _you_, Boris. You just don't know it yet…"

Holding onto his broken wrist tightly, Bryan ran past the BIOVOLT second-in-command and flung the door behind him open. Throwing a hate filled glare back at the man, he rushed through it and stopped.

Boris had tricked him all along. The door hadn't been the way out. He had fallen for the oldest trick in the book and now everyone would get punished because of his stupidity!

_God damn it! Why did I have to be so stupid…? I never was the smartest of the lot…_

"Well, well, well Bryan," Boris tutted from behind him. "You didn't expect that, did you? Mind you, you never were that smart to begin with…"

"Shut up!" screamed Bryan. He was shaking with fury at the words being spoken, knowing full well that they were true. But for some reason, his friends' words came back to him, not letting him believe what the man was speaking.

"_You're not dumb, Bryan. You may be a little slow on the uptake, but that's it…" – Tala_

"_Bryan! Don't do this to yourself, okay? You're not dumb, Bry. You're just not the quickest thinker, but you have talents in other areas. You know that just as much as we do…" – Kai_

"_Come on, Bryan! Get a hold of yourself! You…are…not…dumb! Get over it!" – Spencer, his words spoken with a smile and a pat to the back._

"_Bry…you can do more on a computer than any of us could do put together! Just because you aren't the brainiest when it comes to strategies, but you're smart in other areas!" – Ian_

Smiling, Bryan recalled the nice things his friends had said about him. He _had_ to listen to them; if he didn't then no one would get out the mess that they were in.

"You're wrong, Boris."

Bryan saw Boris' eyes narrow at his words. He could also see every single other blader in the room staring at him. Whether they were the captured teens or the guards, he had their full attention. No one – _no one ­– _stood up to Boris. It just wasn't heard of.

"What did you say to me, Bryan?" voiced Boris; his voice cold and clipped with anger.

"I said that you're wrong," he responded. "I may not be the smartest when it comes to certain things, but I know for a _fact_ that I'm definitely smarter than you!"

There were a few sniggers from behind him and Bryan allowed himself to a small smile/smirk. His lilac eyes flashed with amusement as his old trainer/torturer's face turned red as he was ridiculed.

"Watch out, Boris," Bryan warned, his tone rather sarcastic. "You might blow a brain cell and die…or worse, live…"

The BIOVOLT second-in-command was shaking with barely suppressed rage and Bryan laughed. It was the wrong thing to do, but he enjoyed it. A moment later, Boris ran at him, screaming blue murder. He cocked back his arm and then brought it forward and smacked Bryan hard on the side of the face.

Bryan gasped and flew backwards, landing a few feet from the captured bladers. He struggled upwards into a sitting position and clutched his broken bone again. It was stinging and Bryan could see a patch of red starting to appear. Swallowing, he looked closely at his wrist and saw a small patch of white bone sticking through the skin.

_Oh shit…no wonder it hurts so much…_

"Bryan!" screamed a few people and he looked up to see Boris striding towards him, his face emotionless and rigid. Bryan knew that he was in some real trouble now. Boris made mistakes when he was angry. However, when he got control of his emotions and calmed down a bit, he was lethal.

Trembling, Bryan started to stand when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked over his shoulder to see a blonde boy about his age helping him. He recognised him as Miguel, the one who he had told to get the others out.

"What are you doing?" he hissed at the Spaniard.

"I'm helping you, what does it look like?" came the reply.

Bryan frowned and grit his teeth at the pain that seemed to be coming in rather large waves. "_I_ don't need any help. _You_ need to get out of here!"

They were speaking in hushed voices and Bryan fearfully looked over to where Boris was slowly approaching, adding any kind of dramatic event as he could. Bryan rolled his eyes. Deep down, Boris was just a drama queen that had a thirst for watching other people scream and writher in pain and their own blood.

"God damn it, Bryan! I'm trying to help! Just like you helped us!"

The Russian teen stopped at the other boy's forceful words. He dropped his gaze and stared at the floor. "Why?"

"Huh?" The other boy was genuinely confused.

"Why are you helping me? I…"

"You are Kai's friend, are you not?"

The question shocked him and Bryan lifted his eyes off the floor to stare into Miguel's startling blue ones. What the hell did Kai have to do with anything? That was when he saw the look on Miguel's face as he mentioned Kai. The Spanish teen was in love with him.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Bryan grimaced. This _really_ wasn't the time to be having this conversation, but it intrigued him. He hadn't been around any people who weren't exactly _straight_, and it was quite a shock to find out that the blonde blader _wasn't_.

Immediately, the blonde teen went on the defensive, obviously thinking the worst. "And what if I am?" the words were harsh and Bryan knew that Miguel was going on the defensive.

"I don't care if you are or not, Miguel. Your sexual orientation doesn't concern me, but I will tell you something," he spoke, hurried. Boris was only a few feet from them now. He had to think of something to get everyone out of the situation.

"I know this may hurt, but Kai doesn't swing that way…"

Miguel nodded, sadness clearly visible in his blue eyes. "I knew that already, but I don't mind."

Bryan gave the blonde teen a small smile and turned back to his old trainer. He locked eyes with Boris and took in a deep breath. This was going to be one hell of a showdown and he wasn't entirely sure what would happen during or after the fight. There was no way he could get out of the fight, Boris would make sure of that and Bryan knew that he would also find a way to involve the other bladers in it somehow. Something, he wasn't looking forward to. Looking after himself in an unfair fight was hard enough, dealing with a whole bunch of innocent people was going to be twice as hard, if not harder.

_**

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**_

Kai sat up in his bed, his crimson eyes wandering around the small room that was to be his home for a while. He had woken up a few hours before hand and was still a little groggy from the medication coursing through his veins, but he was alert enough.

The door to his room banged opened and once again, his friends walked through the door. Tyson had begged them if they could go get some lunch and that had been half an hour ago. Kai was actually surprised that they had only been gone for half an hour. He thought that he would have _at least_ and hour to himself.

_Oh well, I can't have everything I guess…I can wish though…_

A small smirk graced his lips and Kai saw the looks he was getting from the bladers crowding around his bed. He locked eyes with his best friend and smirked again. Tala smirked back and then everyone burst out laughing for no reason at all.

Tyson gasped for breath as the laughs ripped through him. "Why…are…we…laughing!?!"

Kai rolled his eyes and sighed. He lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes. He felt the familiar warmth of Dranzer pressing against his mind and mentally thanked the powers that be for returning Dranzer to him.

_:master?:_

_Dranzer…_

_:Are you all right, Master? You seem awfully tired:_

_I'm okay, Dranz. _Kai loved having conversations with his bitbeast. Dranzer was always so concerned for his well-being and he loved to tease her about it.

_:Master: _warned the giant majestic bird.

There was a moment's silence and then Dranzer's warm voice echoed in his head again. This time, her voice wasn't laced with sarcasm. She was worried and Kai snapped his head up.

_:Turn on the television, Master. Now!:_

Kai complied and stared at Tala. "Tala. Turn the TV on."

Kai watched as the red head walked over to where the TV was bracketed to the wall and pressed the 'on' button. The TV immediately sizzled into life and a picture appeared on the screen. Once again, it was about the hostage situation and Kai felt his mouth drop. He hadn't known about any hostage situation…

"Tala? What's going on?" he demanded, his impatience showing through clearly. When there was no response from the flame-haired Russian, or anyone else in the room, Kai lost it.

"For fucks sake!" he yelled, sitting straight up in bed. His injuries protested against his actions, but he ignored the pain. "Tell me what the fuck is going on!"

His eyes wild, Kai made to get out of the bed, but was held down by at least three pairs of hands. He turned and saw Tala, Spencer and Ian holding him down. He could see the sorrow and pain in their eyes and Kai backed down a little. He hadn't meant to yell and swear at them, but he wanted to know. The hostage situation must be big, plainly on the fact that the midday news was showing it. Only the high-profile things got screened on the midday news.

"Kai…"

"Tell me, Tala. Now," Kai ordered, his voice still a little weak.

There was a sigh from the Russian and Kai waited.

"Okay, Kai. The thing is…some teams were taken hostage-"

Kai went to but in, but Tala held up a hand and stopped him from making a noise. "You wanted to know, Kai. So let me tell you."

Nodding, Kai hung his head a little and listened to what had happened whilst he had been in surgery fighting for his life.

The truth came out and Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was shocked beyond belief and immediately the self-hate that he had tried so hard to rid himself of came back in a tsunami-sized wave.

_Oh my god. Tyson and the rest of G Revolution wanted to tell everyone about me and gathered every single top team in the world in one place…now they're all in danger because they've been taken hostage and the top contender for the hostage-taker is BIOVOLT. What's worse, is that Bryan's still in there…GOD DAMN IT!_

Kai buried his head in his hands as the severity of the situation came crashing down on him. Looking up at everyone, he sighed and bit his bottom lip beneath the oxygen mask strapped to his face.

He took the mask off and spoke directly to Tala. "How long has it been since they were first taken?"

"About six hours now…"

Kai growled. He felt so useless, being cooped up in a hospital bed. Here he was, lying down and getting some rest, whilst the very people who made him the cold -and supposedly heartless – person he was today had taken hostage one of his closest friends. BIOVOLT had made sure that their lives had been a living hell when they had been younger and none the wiser. They had believed every word that had come out of Boris and his grandfather's mouths, mainly because they had never been told anything different.

Bryan was going to go through a lot of pain before he came out of that stadium. Kai knew it, Tala knew it…everyone knew it. Even those who did not really know who the hell BIOVOLT was, knew it.

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(A/N: this is for all of you Miguel fans out there )

Miguel held tightly onto Bryan. He looked at the elder Russian blader and saw the pain etched on his normally emotionless features. The teen had a broken wrist and when Miguel had first seen it, he had winced. The pain had to be excruciating, yet Bryan only showed a small amount of pain.

Lifting his head slightly, Miguel swallowed in fear as the man known as Boris stopped right in front of him, a scowl decorating his face. Miguel had no idea who the man was, and what he had done to make Bryan so angry and afraid, but the man had an aura around him that scared him too. Boris wasn't a man to mess with, whoever you were.

"Bryan, Bryan, Bryan…" sneered Boris, his voice thick with anger and disgust, "you never were my favourite whip boy, but I always seemed to love your scream."

Miguel felt his eyes widen. Whip boy? Screaming?

_What the hell is he on about? Is that what really happened?_

Confused, the blonde-haired blader blinked a few times whilst Boris laughed. It sent shivers down his spine and Miguel suddenly wished he were at home, lying in the sun. For some reason, Boris seemed to make him think of everything that was dark and creepy.

"Now, Bryan…it's time for your pain to start. But first, I want you to hand over that boy that seems to be clinging to you, okay?"

Miguel stiffened when he was mentioned. There was no way in hell he was going to go to that maniac who had kidnapped them all. He would have to be dragged over there.

"No," came the response from Bryan and Miguel smiled a little. Suddenly, he felt someone come up behind him and grab his arms. He struggled and yelled at the person and smacked the person in the face with one of his flailing arms.

"Let go of me!" he shrieked as he was dragged away from Bryan and Boris. "LET GO!"

When he wasn't let go, Miguel got really frustrated and started to kick his legs at anything in sight. His arms were starting to hurt, as the person's grip got tighter as he struggled to get free. A few seconds later, he was dumped ungracefully on his arse and Miguel looked up to see Lee from White Tiger X standing above him, a scowl on his face.

Miguel laughed sheepishly and apologized to the Nekojin. "Sorry, Lee. I didn't know that it was you…"

He stopped apologizing as someone screamed in fear and pointed to where Bryan and Boris were standing. Boris had whipped out a gun and aimed it at Bryan's chest, his hand never wavering.

A single shot sounded out and Miguel screamed. "_BRYAN!_"

_**

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**_

Bryan gasped as the bullet bit through his flash and out the other side. His hand swept down to his side and pressed against the wound, blood pooling through his fingers and over his hand. The pain was worse than anything he had felt in a while and he grimaced as Boris backhanded him with the gun.

Blood streaming from the cut on his temple and the gunshot wound in his stomach, Bryan groaned and stepped out of the way as Boris lunged at him. He stumbled slightly and ended up lying on the floor, his vision wavering. Black dots were dancing before his eyes and Bryn knew that he didn't have long before he passed out. Before he did, he knew that he had a job to do.

Standing up, Bryan swayed on his feet but steadied a few moments later. His one good arm was trying to stop the bleeding on his stomach and his broken one was hanging limply beside him. Staring his enemy in the eyes, Bryan smirked and pulled out something from his back pocket.

His beyblade.

Grimacing, he placed his beyblade in his launcher and launched Falborg right at Boris.

"Go Falborg! Get him!" His blade rushed at Boris and a magnificent falcon appeared above the spinning blade.

Falborg let out a scream of rage and lunged at the man who caused his master so much pain and torment. The mighty falcon dived until he was just above where Boris was standing and obeyed his master as he called out.

"Falborg! Metal Talon Fury!"

Thousands of talons shot out from the falcon and whipped through the air towards Boris, who was standing there, his mouth agape.

"This is for Ian, Spencer, Tala and Kai you sicko!" screamed Bryan, despite the pain wracking his body. His friend's deserved revenge and he was about to deliver it for them.

"Now, Falborg! ATTACK!" Bryan jumped as many other voices joined in his scream. He turned a little unsteadily and saw many of the bladers with their blades out and spinning near their feet. Bryan gave them a small smile and watched as Boris' smug look disappeared and changed into one of absolute fear.

All at once, every beyblade spinning raced at full speed towards the BIOVOLT second-in-command. Whirlwinds of different colours kicked up a large dust cloud and when they emerged from the dust, multi-coloured bitbeast hovered or stood next to their masters.

Bryan watched as Boris swallowed. "Not too cocky now, are you Boris?" he sneered, his voice an almost exact duplicate of Boris' earlier. "How does it feel? To be the one really scared? You didn't think that we'd ever do this, did you?"

Bryan was taunting him and he loved it. He had been waiting half of his miserable life to destroy the man who destroyed him and when the chance had finally appeared, he was making the most of every minute.

"Actually, Bryan…" spoke Boris, his voice steely and calm. Bryan stopped and did a double take. Boris wasn't even remotely scared. He was up to something…

"I am actually enjoying myself immensely. You know why?"

Bryan shook his head slowly. He was wondering what the freak had up his sleeve.

"No? It's because you're about to LOSE!"

As soon as Boris' words left his twisted mouth, hundreds of BIOVOLT armour clad men jumped down from the ceiling, out from hiding places or kicked open doors. Bryan stared as every one of the bladers was captured and tied up, their beyblades taken off them. He also found himself on the floor, his hands being tied behind his back.

The Russian teen bit his lip so hard that it started to bleed as they secured his broken wrist to his other one and closed his eyes as they placed a compress bandage harshly on his stomach to at least stem the flow of blood pumping out of him. He was roughly pulled to his feet and pushed in front of the man who had tied his wrists together.

Bryan felt his heart rate increase as a blindfold was placed over his eyes and his world turned to darkness. He was kicked in the back of the leg and a voice told him to start walking. The lilac-haired teen did as he was told and what seemed an eternity later, he was stopped and heard a door opening with a click.

Bryan gasped as he felt the warmth of the sun hit his battered and bruised body. He heard a million gasps and funnily enough, birds chirping…He was outside the stadium!

His mood elevated significantly, only to drop further as he realised that Boris would bring him outside for nothing…Something was going to happen, something that wasn't good.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" called Boris, his voice projecting over the obviously large crowd with ease. "Here is a boy who you may all know!"

Boris bent down and whispered into Bryan's ear. Bryan frowned at his words. "Say hello to your friends, Bryan. You're on camera!"

The Russian blader suddenly screwed his eyes shut as the blindfold was removed. He squinted against the bright sunlight and vaguely saw all of the TV station vans and reporters struggling to capture it all on film.

"Now!" Boris called out again. "I have a proposition for you all!"

There were quiet mumbles throughout the gathered crowd and a man in a police uniform spoke up.

"Okay, Mister! I am detective Marshall Jameson. What is it that you are wanting to prove today?"

"Prove?" Boris gaped, incredulous, "I don't want to _prove_ anything! I want to get some payback!"

He gripped onto Bryan harder and Bryan winced. He was starting to lose the feeling in his arms and in some ways, was a good thing.

As quick as a snake, Boris whipped out a gun and placed it on Bryan's temple. Bryan stiffened at the feel of cold steel on his head and knew instantly that Boris had pulled out his trusty gun. There was a huge gasp from the crowd and some people started to cry.

Bryan swallowed and thought about his friends who were probably still at the hospital with Kai. He wished that they were with him right now, but some wishes, he realised, never came true.

"Ready to meat your maker, Bryan?" came the whispered words in his ear and Bryan felt a lone tears streak from a lilac eye.

_I don't wanna die. I've just escaped Hell, I don't wanna go back…please…someone…help me!_

_**

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**_

Tala stared, horrified as Bryan was lead outside. A blindfold covered his eyes, but Tala's sight was drawn to the large patch of red on his stomach that stained his clothes.

"Bryan…"

The blindfold was removed and Tala saw the look of horror on his friend's face. Boris leant down and whispered something into the terrified Russian's ear and a lone tear streaked down a pale face. Tala felt his own tears start to escape his eyes and fall down his cheeks. Boris was going to kill Bryan and there was nothing he could do about it.

The tension and horror that had covered Kai's hospital room like a smothering blanket was overpowering and most of them found themselves crying for the Russian boy on the TV. Tala looked about himself and saw Kai crying also, his crimson eyes watering and dispersing a tear every time his eyes closed for a brief time.

"Oh god, Bryan. Please don't leave us…"

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**End! Don't hurt me! –hides behind computer desk- I know, I know, another cliffhanger…but I seem to love them! **

**Now I need help on something…should Bryan die? Or should he live? I can't decide, so can anyone help me????? Just tell me whether he should live or die…easy! Hehe**

**ADVERTISING: There is a fic I think EVERYONE should read!!!! It's about the B-Boys and how they became the cold-hearted people they are today. It's really good! It's called ****BALKOV ABBEY & THE MEMBERS**** and they're all SO CUTE!!! Especially Tala and Kai! So please, go check it out if you want. If anyone else wants me to advertise their fic or one that you think should get recognized, please tell me the name of the fic and the author/authoress and I will advertise it for you! Oh by the way, the fic is by VENDETTA-ROSE, my fave authoress!!!!!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Until next time  
**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_


	8. Hurtful Words

**Hey! I'm back with the eighth installment of this fic! There is a long flashback sequence in this chap, but it is important to what is happening, so please don't stop reading if you don't like flashbacks! **

**Hope you enjoy!**

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A special thanks to…

kavbj - you know what? You're always the first to review a new chapter!!! thank you! -gives kavbj a Kai plushie- thanks for the web address too! About killing Bryan...I have an idea of what might happen, but it isn't revealed in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy!

BeMyfRIeND4eVA - thanks for the review! Even though you're not much of a Bryan or torture fan, you still love it? I feel so happy! And honoured! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

kailover2006 - I have updated! Mwha ha ha ha ha! Evil cliffhangers, here I come! Thanks for the review, enjoy!

FlyingShadow666 - you're thanking _me_ for updating? I should be thanking _you_ for reviewing!!! Thank you so much! And I gave a little thought to your Kai saving him idea, so there's a little bit of planning in this chap hope you enjoy!

d1bontemp - I velieve that Bryan should live too, but some things don't always work out the way you want them too Bryan does not die...in this chap...so far. That is a very good idea you have placed in my head...hehe. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!

n-zelda-n - Everyone wants Bryan to live!!! Therefore, he shall die! Kidding! I haven't decided on whether he lives or dies yet, so you'll just have to keep reading to find out The wound in his stomach may give him some grief though, I hadn't actually though last chapter through that well, so thanks for pointing that out! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter

Nameless Little Girl - I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the review. Hope you like this chapter just as much

Destiny Quill - Flamethrowers are SOOOO cool! Hehe. Thank you for your wonderful comments on this fic and the constructive criticism. It helped me a lot! I know the last chapter wasn't really focused on Kai that much, but this chapter is all about our favourite blader! And yes, about the shot through the stomach thing, I didnt really thinklast chapter through that well, I just typed and typed. It may have been a little random, but hopefully this chapter is much better! Hopefully Yes, LOTR was filmed in my little country and surprisingly, I don't acutally like the moveis that much! Strange...Anyways, thanks for the review and hopefully this chapter satisfies your Kai-ness! I love Kai...he's so cool...

Elemental Gypsy - Yes, Miguel does rule! So does Kai! Hehe There's a lot of people I want to kill in this fic too! Hopefully I manage to kill the bad guys instead of the good ones...heh Cliffhangers are great! I love them, they add so much to a fic, a lot of suspence. Sadly, there are no Miguel/Kai hints in this chapter. But there will be some more later on in the next couple of chaps. And you are definitely right in referring to Kai as being a non-sexual. He just doesn't seem the type to go for guys or girls (that's if you're keeping him in character - which hopefully I am! Sort of...) Anyways, thanks for the advice and the review! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**_DancerInTheDark101_ **

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 8: Hurtful Words**

The world rocked in his view as Kai stared at the television. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. It was horrible. Bile rose in his throat and Kai swallowed, forcing it back down where it came from. He felt physically sick after seeing what the news reporters had been saying and the footage that had accompanied the story. Bryan was going to die if nothing was done and Kai knew that Boris was not one to be merciful and let people live. They had to do _something_!

His best friend was standing across the room from him, his ice blue eyes downcast and shadowed by his flaming red hair. The room had been awfully quiet ever since the news of Bryan's imminent death had been revealed and the red-haired Russian hadn't looked up from the floor since then.

Every other person in the room had – at one point – cried for the doomed lilac-haired Russian and Kai had felt his own tears drip down his face and onto the sheets covering his battered body. His body was still weakened from the injuries he had sustained from the battle with Brooklyn, the helicopter crash and his grandfather. An oxygen mask was still strapped to his face even though he had ordered the doctors to remove it; they hadn't and had threatened him with a respirator if he took it off. All Kai wanted to do was get out of the god forsaken hospital and help the captured bladers.

He knew for a fact that BIOVOLT was behind the capture, even if it hadn't been said yet. He had this feeling that came only from BIOVOLT. They were after him and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys. He needed to get out of the hospital and make sure that no one was hurt because of him. What concerned him even more was the fact that the police still hadn't found his grandfather. The mansion was in ruins and had been cleared up, but there had been no sign of Voltaire anywhere. The older man was alive and that was what Kai was afraid of.

Was his grandfather behind the hostage situation? On the other hand, was it Boris? He didn't know and it was pissing him off to the extreme.

The Russian teen ran a pale hand through his messy slate hair and sighed beneath the oxygen mask. All eyes turned to him and Kai looked up and his crimson orbs locked with a pair of blue. His eyes widened a little as he saw the pain running through his best friend's eyes, the pain of loss, hurt and helplessness.

"Tala…" he whispered, his voice muffled by the wretched mask. He tugged at it and pulled the clear structure down over his mouth to rest around his neck. Kai immediately found it harder to breathe, but he needed to tell Tala something and the mask was making it too hard to talk.

"Tala…I…" he started. Glancing up, he saw everyone looking at something else in the room rather than the two Russian best friends. "I need you to do something for me…"

His best friend looked confused at his remark and Kai sighed. It was shaky and he coughed after it, but for some reason it made his head clearer. "I need you to help me get out of this hospital."

This time there was an obvious reaction from Tala – and everyone else in the room.

"WHAT!?!" they chorused, the volume hurting his ears.

"Are you crazy, Kai?"

"No," was the stoic reply and Kai glared at them, his eyes steely and focused. He wasn't going to let them stop him from rescuing his friend. "Whether you help me or not, Tala, I will be getting out of this bloody place. I know that, you know that."

The room went quiet at his words and Kai levered himself into a sitting position on the bed. The sheets dropped to his waist and he heard the gaps when his chest was revealed. Kai knew that his chest was covered in hideous bruises and scars that crisscrossed the toned flesh. A large white bandage was wrapped around his stomach from where the large piece of metal had imbedded itself in him and it was slightly stained pink. The wound still hurt occasionally, but he knew that it was expected. He had been told that the wound had been very deep and he was lucky that it hadn't pierced anything important.

"What?" he snapped at everyone when he got sick of their staring.

"Kai…" came the sympathetic reply from Rei. His voice was soft and pity was laced through the word.

Kai growled as he heard Rei. "God damn it!" he yelled, startling them all. "I don't need your fucking pity! I never have wanted it, nor needed it, so…GET A LIFE AND LEAVE MINE ALONE!"

Fuming, the slate-haired blader ripped out the wires inserted into his arms and stood up. He swayed slightly and swatted a hand away as it reached close to him to steady him. Glaring at the hand's owner, Kai realised that it had been Tala who had gone to help him and Kai opened his mouth to apologise, but found that the words wouldn't come.

Tala's eyes were full of hurt and betrayal and Kai wished that he could have taken his actions back. Tala was still hurt from his battle that had landed him in a coma and Kai had just hurt his psyche badly.

"Tala…I…I'm sorry…" he managed to stumble out. His voice was weak and sounded pathetically small.

"Forget it, Kai," Tala snapped back. "You're no better than anyone else. You don't care, never have and never will. You'll always be the same selfish person who only cares for your won well-being and wont let anyone help you!"

Tala's words cut deep into his soul and Kai felt his mouth hanging open. Tala had just said the words that he had tried to get other people to stop saying for so many years. Kai couldn't believe that his best friend would say those things about him.

"They were right about you, Kai. You _are_ a prick!"

The last words felt like someone had shattered his heart with a hammer. He felt drained as Tala stalked out of the room, limping slightly. As his energy drained from him, Kai sat back on the bed quickly. He was shocked beyond belief, but he tried his best to hide his emotions from view. He didn't want everyone else to know how much Tala's words had hurt him.

Unfortunately, Spencer and Ian saw through his façade and Kai felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Spencer standing in front of him, his expression sad.

"Kai…you know he didn't mean it," he whispered, leaning closer so that no one else would be able to overhear them. "He's just stressed, that's all. With Bryan being captured and you being in hospital with serious injuries…it's just got to him."

Kai shook his head at Spencer's words. "No. He meant them, every last word. I'm just wondering how long he's felt like that and if he was _ever_ my friend in the first place–" He stopped as his body shook with fine tremors. Tears trailed down his tattooed cheeks. "Was he ever my friend, Spence?" Kai's voice was laced with mental agony and betrayal, his crimson eyes shining with crystalline water.

"Kai, listen to me!" shouted Spencer, annoyed. "Don't listen to him! He's just upset about other things okay?" Spencer roughly shook Kai by the shoulders, trying to capture the depressed teen's attention. "Listen, Kai!"

Eventually, the teen's head lifted up and everyone in the room was caught in the sorrowful gaze that erupted from the pair of crimson orbs. That was when they noticed the bandage around Kai's stomach was stained a brilliant, bright red. There were also small trails of blood coming from where the said teen had ripped out the wires pumping medication through his veins. Kai was a mess.

Kai let Spencer lay him back on the hospital bed, his eyes gazing at nothing. All emotion had been wiped from their depths, he was obviously recalling something very important.

_-flashback-_

"_Come on, Kai!" screamed a red-haired boy, his fists screwed up in annoyance. "You can do this! I know you can and so do you! So bloody well do it!"_

_The boy called Kai was doubled over near a beyblading dish. A ripcord and launcher were in his right hand whilst his left one hung limply by his side. The blue-haired boy's face was cold, impassive. His lips were pursed in an almost straight line, the concentration clearly visible. He was facing another boy his age that had light lilac-hair and the same __coloured__ eyes. _

_At the moment, he was losing and badly. The other boy's beyblade had been modified and had a huge advantage over his Dranzer blade in strength, defense and attacking properties and Kai wasn't even sure that he could last much longer against the lilac-haired boy. He was panting heavily as he ordered his blue blade to dodge the fast, dark grey blade that was glowing. A moment later, a huge falcon appeared above the bitchip with an ear-shattering screech. _

_It was a beautiful bird; almost sparkling gold talons contrasted with deep, rich brown feathers. There were flecks of red in the feathers that shone brightly against the darker colour and merged with the gold talons to create a whirlwind of __colours__. The falcon's eyes were a dark, inky black. Its gaze was terrifying in its intensity and determination. The falcon wanted to win. _

"_Falborg!" screamed the lilac-haired boy. "Attack with Metal Talon Fury!"_

_The falcon swooped down towards Kai's blue blade with frightening speed. A few moments before it would have collided with the blue object, destroying it, the blue blade began to glow white gold._

_A loud, piercing screech filled the air as another bird appeared from a blade. This time, the bird came from Kai's bitchip. The slate-haired boy stared up as his bitbeast emerged in al her glory. Dranzer; the golden Phoenix of fire. _

_The phoenix was breathtakingly beautiful. Her feathers were a mixture of gold, red and orange mixed together and sparkled, creating a sort of golden halo around the bird. Dranzer's tails were feathered in gold and ended in a magical red fire. Fire was also visible from a mane-like thing on Dranzer's head that ran down the back of her neck. The firebird's eyes were an enchanting deep blue that looked like the depths of the ocean; they were that pure and Dranzer's beak was a brilliant gold colour that contrasted greatly with her eye._

_With a loud screech, the bird stopped the falcon's attack and threw it across the room. It crashed into the opposite wall and slid to the floor. Whilst the bitbeast were fighting it out above the beydish, Kai ordered his blade to slam into the dark grey blade that was spinning on the spot on the other side of the dish. _

"_Dranzer! Volcanic Emission!"_

_The firebird obeyed the order given to her by her master and flew at the grey blade, her eyes glowing brightly and the fire surrounding her starting to become bigger and hotter. With a loud shriek, Dranzer slammed into the blade and fire erupted from her, shooting upwards and outwards like a __volcano_

_  
The fire started to spread around the dish and Kai gasped for breath. The attack had taken a lot out of him, since the attack was brand new and he had never used it before against an opponent. Across the dish from him, Bryan – the lilac-haired boy – was panting also, his face pale. They were both exhausted. _

_People ran out from seemingly nowhere and started to put out the fire. Kai slumped a little as Tala began to cheer again. "I knew you could do it, Kai!" _

_Smiling slightly, Kai watched as the flames died away and Dranzer returned to the blue blade still spinning. The fire disappeared and Kai saw that Bryan's blade was still; it was lying on its side out of the dish. _

_He had won…_

"_YES! GO KAI!" Kai turned and saw a certain red headed boy jumping up and down, pumping his fist into the air. "That was wicked! What an awesome battle!"_

"_Yes, Kai. Well done…" _

_Kai spun, almost losing his balance as his exhausted body tried to catch up with his mind. Behind him stood his grandfather and Boris, eyes steely and lips pursed in tight lines. Kai backed away a little, swallowing. _

_He bowed his head as they approached him. He got a fright as his grandfather placed a hand under his chin and lifted up his head so they could look eye to eye. His grandfather's eyes were cold and emotionless and Kai felt no love or compassion from the man who was his legal guardian. _

"_Kai," he spoke. "I am very pleased that you have won. Now, I want you to face Tala in a match…"_

_Kai looked up at those words; stared into his grandfather's eyes. Why did his grandfather want him to face Tala? Kai knew that he couldn't beat the Abbey's best blader. Even if he were able to use Dranzer again, he would never beat his red-haired friend. _

"_Why?" he asked. "I know that I wont ever beat Tala. He's too strong."_

_The slate-haired boy cowered as his grandfather yelled at him. "You _will _battle Tala, Kai. You _will_ win!"_

"_Yes, Grandfather," he replied. _

"_Three…two…one…LET IT RIP!"_

_Kai launched his blue blade into the beydish in front of him. It had been one day since his grandfather had told him that he was to face Tala in a match and ever since then, he hadn't been able to talk to his best friend. When they had met before the match, they hugged each other for good luck and promised each other a good match. _

_Kai watched Tala's launch. It was strong and angled slightly to the right. His black blade hit the dish perfectly and Kai began to have serious doubts whether he would last a minute against his friend. _

_The two blades circled each other continuously and Kai felt Tala watching him just as intently as he was watching Tala. Why would Tala be watching him intently? He wasn't that good anyway…_

_Suddenly, Tala's blade charged forward and slammed into his. Kai hissed and his eyes darted left and right, trying to figure out what to do next. He smirked when he realised the answer. _

"_Dranzer!" he called out to his fire-wielding bitbeast. The majestic phoenix arose from his blue blade and screamed to the heavens. Fire burst out around her and her eyes shone with an energy Kai had never seen before. Tala obviously hadn't either as his eyes widened significantly too. _

"_Wolborg!" Tala screamed and Kai watched as Tala's black blade glowed a bright red. Soon, a magnificent wolf appeared from the bitchip and growled ferociously when he saw the phoenix hovering in the air._

_The wolf was a mixture of black, grey and brown fur that covered its whole body. Sharp, black claws could be seen from where Kai was standing and they glinted in the light from Dranzer's fire. The wolf had white paws from which the white carried on halfway up the legs, where it was intercepted by a large amount of black fur. It looked like the wolf was wearing socks. The wolf's eyes were a burning red that seemed to be the same colour as his master's hair; they were bright and held an intense look that only Tala could master._

"_Wolborg! Dark Ice Wave!"_

_A large amount of ice shot out from the wolf – whose element was obviously ice – and started to wrap itself around Dranzer. The firebird screamed out in agony and Kai watched, horrified, as his beloved bitbeast's flame started to be extinguished. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he fought them away and glared up at the wolf that was killing his bitbeast. _

"_Dranzer!" he screamed in a furious rage. "Blazing Gigs Tempest!"_

_The phoenix's eyes flashed something brilliant and a white light shot out from all sides of the crystal-like ice that had covered the firebird. The white light soon turned to a blinding red that started to heat up immediately. The ice melted quickly and the fire shot out in all directions, scorching the wolf and setting fire to most of the beydish. _

_Kai watched, fascinated, as Dranzer began to fight the wolf – which a minute ago, had been winning. "Come on, Dranzer!" Kai yelled encouragement to his bitbeast, which helped as she shot another burst of fire at the ice wolf. Wolborg slammed into the wall and slid to the floor as the wall crumbled behind him. _

_The wolf struggled to get up as Dranzer hovered in the air above him. Kai looked as Tala called out to his bitbeast._

"_Come on, Wolborg! Get up!" Kai caught the hint of fear and anxiety in Tala's voice and felt bad. It was because of him that his friend was feeling the way he was. Tala was almost in tears as he realised that Wolborg couldn't get back up; he was too badly hurt to continue the battle. _

"_You've won, Kai." _

_Stunned, Kai looked and saw that what Tala had said was true. The black blade had stopped and was lying in the dish. His blade, however, was still spinning furiously. _

"_I'm sorry, Tala. I didn't mean to hurt Wolborg so badly…"_

_His friend looked at him suddenly, astonishment clear in his ice-blue eyes. "What?" he asked. _

"_I'm sorry…"_

"_Don't be sorry, Kai. You won, you should be happy! Anyway, Wolborg heals fast. He'll be better in a few days, so don't worry!" _

_Kai nodded and ran over to his friend. He hugged him and thanked him for a great battle. "Does this mean I'm the best in the Abbey now?"_

"_Yeah it does!" Tala smiled and hugged Kai back. Kai gave a small smile and looked as his bitbeast disappeared back into the blue blade. _

"_We're the best, Tala! We'll be the world champs soon!"_

"_Yeah!" agreed the read head. "But we'll be best friends forever, right?"_

_Kai smiled, a big one this time. "YEAH!"_

_Then his grandfather walked into the room, a scowl on his face and Kai felt his smile vanish in an instant. He knew something bad was going to happen, he just didn't know what…yet._

_-end flashback-_

**(A/N: whoa, that was a LONG flashback! Now, on with the rest of the fic!)**

Kai smiled slightly as the memory flashed through his mind. He was lying on the hospital bed – _his_ hospital bed – for the past hour, waiting for Tala to return. So far, he hadn't and Kai was beginning to worry. The things that Tala had said before storming off had slowly drifted to the back of Kai's mind, but they were still there.

_He didn't mean what he said, did he? If he didn't, then why hasn't he come back yet? Does he really hate me that much?_

Sighing, Kai lifted his head off the pillow and stared at the TV that had been switched off for some time. He leant over, with some difficulty, and grabbed the remote. The news was on and Kai tuned in when the hostage situation was mentioned.

"_We are now live at the BBA training stadium where the man identified as Boris Balkov has taken hostage many of the worlds top beyblading teams. Almost an hour ago, the man brought out a member of the Russian beyblading team, the Blitzkrieg Boys and threatened to kill him. The boy, Bryan, lost consciousness almost immediately after he was brought out and has remained that way ever since. Balkov is now demanding to see the Captain of the Japanese – and current world champion team – G Revolution, Kai Hiwatari."_

"_Police are working on a way to get Mr. Hiwatari to the BBA training stadium, but it is proving difficult as he is currently in hospital in the intensive care unit. Paramedics on the scene have also commented on the Russian's – Bryan's – condition. Bryan has sustained a broken wrist, multiple abrasions and bruises and the obvious gunshot wound to the stomach. They say that if he does not receive medical treatment in the next hour, he will not make it."_

Kai slumped back into the pillows, shocked at what he had just heard. Bryan wasn't dead…yet. He needed to do something, something to help him. However, to do that, he needed to get out of the damn hospital in one piece.

Running his hands through his slate hair, Kai realised that he needed Tala to help him find a way out of the hospital. He just hoped that the red head would talk to him. Leaning over, he opened the bedside cabinet draw and pulled out a sleek, black cell phone. He flipped it open and scrolled through the contact phone book and found Tala's cell number.

He hit the call button and pressed the phone against his ear. Ringing greeted him and a couple of seconds later, a voice spat at him. "What do you want, Hiwatari?"

Kai cringed as Tala used his surname. He only ever did that when he was very angry. He was about to speak before he realised that he still had the oxygen mask on and took it off before speaking. "Look, Tala…please listen to me."

"Why the hell should I listen to _you_ of all people?"

"Tala! I want to help Bryan, okay! But to do that, I need to get out of this bloody hospital! I don't know what the hell I did wrong, but I hate the way we are towards each other! We're supposed to be _best friends_!"

There was silence from the other end of the connection and Kai became concerned that the red head had hung up on him. The only thing stopping him fro believing that was the fact that he could hear breathing down the phone line.

"Tala…please?" he asked.

"What do you want me to do?" came the eventual reply. Kai almost felt like laughing. They hadn't patched up everything, but they were on their way to fixing it.

"First of all, where are you?"

"I'm at the stadium right now. Bryan looks real bad, Kai. He needs help…"

Kai put his face in his hands; the phone was lying beside him, the speakerphone on. He didn't know what to do…he just knew that he had to do _something_. Before it was too late to help…

"I want you to come back to the hospital and help me get out. Once that has happened, we'll think of something."

"Okay, Kai. I'm on my way now. Boris is scanning the crowd, but I'm keeping low so that I can't be seen. He wants to see you, Kai."

"I know, Tala. I saw the news. The police are trying to find a way to get me there. Oh and Tala?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For helping me and for forgiving me…"

"It's okay, Kai," the voice spoke. There was a hint of sadness there, but also evident was relief and determination. "I'm on my way. See you soon."

Kai disconnected the call and sat up in the bed. He slowly pulled out the wires that were puncturing his skin, trying not to make them bleed. He succeeded in some of them, but a few started to leak the red liquid that was his blood. The slate-haired captain winced as some of the small wounds started to sting, but shrugged away the pain.

Standing up, he swayed slightly and gripped his abdomen as the tightly wrapped bandages aggravated the debris wound on his stomach. A slightly pink stain started to appear where the wound was stitched together and Kai sighed. So far, all he had succeeded in was hurting himself even more than he already had been.

Stumbling over to where the wardrobe was, Kai opened the door and found some clothes packed neatly inside. Smirking, he pulled them out. Apparently, his team had bought him some new clothes and he knew that Rei would have had a lot of input into what they bought, considering most of the clothing was black.

He pulled the black muscle top over his head and stretched it a little so it would fit over the bandages on his stomach. Ripping off the hospital gown thing, he pulled on the pair of black baggy jeans and fastened a red and silver belt around his hips. Both items of clothing hung low on his hips.

He reached into the wardrobe again and grabbed his launcher, rip chord and his trademark scarf. Kai placed the rip chord and launcher in the back pocket of his jeans and fastened the scarf around his neck. He was now ready to go.

Only a few seconds later, the door opened and in strode none other than Tala. Kai smirked at the look on the red head's face as he saw Kai up and dressed, ready to go.

"What?" he asked, cocking his head to the side, "did you think I would still be in bed?"

Tala laughed and shook his head. "No, actually I didn't. But I don't think I have seen you in all black for a while."

**(A/N: go the All Blacks! Sorry, I had to put that in somewhere. I'm an avid rugby fan and the NZ rugby team is called the All Blacks. The Rugby World Cup is at the end of this year too! GO THE ALL BLACKs!!!)**

Kai shook his head as well. "Come to think of it, I don't think I have either. Now, we have to figure out what we're going to-"

Kai stopped and gripped his stomach again; his face was twisted in pain.

"Kai?" Tala's concerned voice reached him and Kai opened his crimson orbs to see Tala staring at him. "Are you okay?"

Smiling a little, Kai nodded slowly, trying to rid himself of the pain. "It's just the debris wound. It's been acting up a little ever since I got out of that bloody bed."

The slate-haired teen grabbed the TV remote and switched off the mute. The sound returned and Tala and Kai listened to what the updates were on the hostage situation. Bryan was not in good condition…

_**

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Voltaire growled as one of his personal nurses lifted him into his wheelchair. It had been a few days since his mansion had been blown to smithereens and he had been saved by the last of his loyal BIOVOLT workers. They had patched up his broken wrist and plastered it and now the white stuff was beginning to annoy the shit out of him. His arm was also starting to itch and there was no way he could scratch it.

The most annoying thing was the fact that he couldn't feel _anything_ below his waist. He had ordered doctors to stab him and inject him with things, but in the end he couldn't feel a thing. After hours of testing, it was confirmed that he was indeed paralysed from the waist down.

Voltaire got one of his nurses to wheel him out into his study at his safe house that he had been taken to, to get fixed up. He flitted through some papers and came across the files for three of his employees. One was Boris Balkov, the other Liam Smith and the last was a woman called Iris Johansson. Iris was one of his most dedicated workers and had even sustained almost life-threatening injuries whilst on the helicopter with his grandson to make sure that he didn't make it to the hospital alive. Of course, she had failed, but by the time she had reached the hospital to be treated, she had come up with other ideas on how to rid the world of his grandson.

Now, he had another task for her – to get rid of Boris Balkov.

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**The end of the eighth chapter! Wow, I'm really racing through this fic! **

**Hope you all enjoyed. Kai is the main focus in the chapter – last chapter was just a sort of build up. It was needed for the plot to advance…yada yada yada **

**Please review! It would make my day!**

**Until next time**

_**DacnerInTheDark101**_


	9. Saying Goodbye

**Hay there peoples! How's everything going? This is the newest chapter in IFOF and I hope you enjoy it! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far!!!**

**This chapter is a bit shorter than all the others; it's still over 4000 words – which is my minimum. I hope that it's not too short for your liking!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. If I did, Kai would be the main character and would be dressed in black all the time I also don't own the lyrics that are mentioned in this chapter. **

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A special thanks to…

d1bontemp – yes it is always great! Hehe. There is a little bit of Bryan and other characters in this chap, but Kai is still the main! Enjoy and thanks for the review

FlyingShadow666 – another update is here! Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoyed your dancing hehe. Everyone hates Boris and Voltaire! Which is a GOOD thing! Hope you enjoy this chapter…I hope

XXUrbanRegalityXx – you're back!!!! Tala and Kai are nest friends in this fic, hopefully they will stay that way depends on how my sadistic mind works…and no, Voltaire isn't dead – unfortunately. Iris is going to play a big part in the next few chapters, but you'll just have to wait and see what happens. I haven't mentioned Liam Smith before. He's a random person I threw in there, but he will appear later on. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Destiny Quill – right, another long review! YAY! I always try to take into account how readers feel because…well, they're the ones who are reading the fic, so I try to please everyone thank you for all your wonderful comments! –huggles- and about the All Blacks: when the team was first formed ages and ages ago, a newspaper printed that they all played like backs – a rugby terminology – but made a typo and said 'blacks' instead. That's how they got their name they won their game against France too! I didn't actually realise that I had put a cliffhanger in a flashback…whoops! It shows how much I love those cliffhangers! I don't think there are any cliffhangers in this chapter…I think. Thanks so much for all your support and wonderful reviews for this fic! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

kavbj­ – no you weren't the first this time, but it doesn't matter! You reviewed! Yay, and you liked it! Yippee! About Bryan…you'll just have to read and find out, wont you. Heh, but please don't kill me once you've read this…thanks for the review and I HOPE you enjoy this chapter! Btw, your fics are going really good, can't wait for the next update!

n-zelda-n – yay, you liked the chapter! I have no idea how many chapters are left, I don't plan my fics…hopefully there are a few chapters left!!! And I have updated so I hope you haven't exploded yet! I can't have my wonderful readers and reviewers exploding now, can I? Nup thanks for the review and enjoy! Hopefully!

Misunderstood and Hurt - have you had a name change? If so, it's cool! Hehe, I don't know how to get rid of Boris yet, but I have _some_ ideas in my twisted mind…I have updated and hopefully you will like it! Enjoy

Elemental Gypsy – ahhh, huggling Kai...yes Voltaire is now going after the evil Boris. I know! It's annoying that they wont just drop dead in the middle of the sreet! Hmmmmm...-evil smirk- And yes Kai will do some serious butt kicking in the next few chapters! You'll just have to wait and see what he does though Hopefully this update didn't take too long??? Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy!

Nameless Little Girl – I'm glad you loved it! Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**_DancerInTheDark101_**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 9: Saying Goodbye**

"_NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"_

The heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the surrounding area of the BBA training stadium. All eyes turned to two teens standing on the grass embankment beside the river that passed the building. The boys were standing, wide eyed, at the scene that had been played out in front of them. One of them dropped to their knees and the other followed shortly after.

Everyone stared as tears started to make their way down the teens' faces; the sun was glinting off the crystalline drops. Most had just got over the shock of what had happened, but now they realised, the pair before them had not. They had arrived too late and witnessed the tail end of the tragedy.

-----------------------------------

Kai dropped to his knees as he saw the scene in front of him. He felt Tala drop beside him and then the waterworks started. As tough and emotional as he may have been, Kai just couldn't stop the wretched tears from coming. _He_ at least deserved that much…

"K-Kai?" hiccupped Tala softly and Kai turned his head slightly to see Tala in as much pain as he was. Kai knew that Tala was starting to go into shock.

"Why-why him?"

The slate-haired teen didn't know how to answer that question and felt bad for not knowing. Kai hadn't lived with _him_ his whole life like Tala had. He had escaped from the Abbey whilst Tala and the others had been forced to live a life of horror when he was safe, free to live his life how he wanted and not to be controlled like a puppet on strings. He had snapped the strings binding him and when he had found a way to break those strings that held the Blitzkrieg Boys captive, everything had started to go wrong…

Putting his head in his hands, Kai ran his fingers thorough his hair roughly. He felt the need to hit something rise through his body and he took all his anger and pain out on his hair.

After a few minutes of pain and inner torment, Kai looked up and saw that the crowds of people standing near the stadium were all staring at him and Tala, understanding and sorrow written across their faces. He looked at Tala again and saw that, he too, was staring at the people staring at them. Kai averted his gaze and immediately wished that he hadn't, because it swung to the last place he wanted to look.

His throat constricted and he swallowed, trying to remove the lump in his throat. Taking in shallow breaths, Kai stood up on shaky legs. His stomach protested by sending him a wave of pain, but he ignored it and held out a hand to Tala. The red-haired Russian grabbed his hand and they stood together – albeit on shaky and unsteady legs – and stumbled over to where the crowds were standing.

As Kai got closer, the pain he had felt slowly dissipated – but didn't entirely disappear – and was replaced with raw, red fury. His eyes blazed with fire and Kai vowed to kill the son of a bitch that had done this.

"I'm going to kill him, Tala," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "He is going to suffer like no one has ever suffered before."

There was a grunt of approval and Kai continued to stalk his way through the crowds of stunned onlookers. He bet that most of them didn't expect for him to be there, considering what had been said about his condition. Personally, Kai didn't think that he would have made it either. It had been really tough trying to get out of the hospital unnoticed, but they had succeeded and now they had arrived at their destination, with less than pleasing results.

"God damn it, Kai!" cried Tala, the anguish evident in his voice. "We were too fucking late!"

"I know, Tal. I know…"

There, before them stood a group of paramedics and a few police officers. Their faces were pale and were talking amongst themselves, not having noticed Kai and Tala. Kai cleared his throat and they all turned to look at the newcomers, their eyes widening significantly as they saw who it was.

"Can we see?" asked Kai, his voice still strong, but a hint of weakness could be heard. He was really hurting on the inside and it was taking all of his will power, plus more, to hide the pain.

"Of course," was the reply from an armour-clad police officer.

Kai almost collapsed again as the sight greeted him. He lifted his hands to his face and covered his mouth as sobs escaped his lips. Beside him, Tala stood as still as a statue. His face was impassive and showed nothing, not even a hint of sadness. Trembling ever so slightly, Kai placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. The world seemed to slow down as Tala's eyes rolled backwards and he slumped to the ground in a heap. Kai watched as Tala hit the ground. There seemed to be no sound, no…nothing.

Tala hit the ground and suddenly, in a whoosh of air, sound returned to Kai in an instant. The world's colour seeped back into objects and people and Kai knelt down by his friend. He was unconscious.

Kai couldn't blame him. He felt like collapsing himself, but he knew that he had to be strong for someone - if not for Tala, then for the corpse lying at his feet.

Bryan.

The boy's lilac hair was matted with deep, crimson blood. There was a lot of it and Kai knew that the sadistic creature that was Boris Balkov had shot the poor Russian teen, killing him instantly. Kai had had a feeling that Bryan wasn't going to make it out of the building alive, but he certainly didn't think that Boris would have shot him execution style in front of a crowd full of people and TV cameras.

"Oh god, Bryan…"

The lilac-haired Russian was deathly pale, even more so now that he was actually dead. All of the boys that had been trained at the Abbey had always been teased for having startling pale skin. It was because that they had always been trained underground in the Abbey's training grounds and they had only been let out into the outside world once a week with supervision.

There was also a lot of blood coating Bryan's stomach where a bullet had obviously penetrated the muscle and tissue. It had mingled with sweat and had run a fair distance, before drying up slightly.

Kai reached forward and placed a hand on Bryan's cold cheek. The wielder of Falborg looked so peaceful lying there, that Kai didn't want to disturb him, but he needed to do this. The blue-haired boy hated the sight of blood – his or anyone else's – but as his fingers danced across the dead boy's face, they were coated in the blood of his friend. It disturbed him, but Kai carried on anyway. Bryan had never really had anyone to love or to care for him, and he never would now. That was because the monster, Boris Balkov had shot him and destroyed what life he had had left in him.

"I'm so sorry, Bryan. I couldn't save you in time. Please forgive me…"

A lone tear escaped from a crimson orb and streaked down his cheek, passing the tattoos permanently etched there. A sob escaped his tightly closed lips and Kai broke down, collapsing on the ground. He hadn't lost consciousness, but he was partial to whether he wanted to or not. If he remained conscious, he would have to face the facts and accept that Bryan was dead, but if he lost consciousness he would most definitely see Bryan's deathly pale face in his nightmares.

All Kai wanted was for the nightmare to end. Unfortunately, he knew that at the moment, it wasn't an option. He was going to have to find a way to end the nightmare himself, something he had been running from his entire life.

_**

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**_

Some time earlier…

Bryan shivered as the cold steel pressed hard against his head. He had lost consciousness for a while, but Boris had managed to wake him up, eventually and now he was stuck in the man's grip with a gun to his head.

_I don't wanna die. I've just escaped Hell, I don't wanna go back…please…someone…help me!_

Even as he mentally shouted out the plea, somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that no one would be able to hear it. It was hopeless. No one cared enough for him to save him. The only people who did were in the hospital, hurt, or visiting his hospitalised friends.

_Spencer…Ian…Kai…Tala…_

Bryan struggled helplessly against his tormentor's strong grip, trying to escape his deadly clutches and the gun that Boris was wielding.

The bright light from the sun was hurting his eyes, but the Russian teen managed to glance at all of the people gathered around the building, watching, waiting, wanting to know what was going to happen. He felt tears in his eyes as he realised whom they really were and why they were there. They didn't want to help or save him…all they wanted to do was watch and see what Boris would do.

* * *

_Don't wanna reach for me do you_

_I mean nothing to you_

_The little things that give you away_

* * *

He could see the police officers trying to reason with Boris, pretending that they cared, but Bryan knew better. The world was an ugly place and he had seen the darkest side of it. He wished that he could have seen the world in a different way to what he had experienced, to see what the world was like in an innocent view. That was never going to happen.

Slowly but surely, Bryan could feel his life draining away from him in the form of a certain red liquid. It was pumping from the wound in gushes and he could feel his stomach getting covered in a sticky substance that could only be one thing. Blood.

"I hope you're ready to say goodbye, Bryan…" sneered a voice in his ear. Bryan involuntarily shivered at the voice and a low cackle came from the man holding the gun to his head. If he could be called a man, that is.

"Boris," he sneered back. "I'm never ready to say goodbye, because I already have done so and I…don't…care!"

Really, he did care. However, Bryan didn't want the monster to know how scared he really was.

"Of course you care, Bryan. You don't want to die, just as much as I don't want you to live. But, unfortunately for you, my will is stronger and you are about to go back to where you belong…Hell."

"WHY?!?" screamed Bryan, startling the crowds and Boris. "_Why the hell do you fucking hate me so much!? What did I ever fucking do to you!?_"

"Calm down, Bry."

Bryan winced as Boris called him the name that he had allowed only Spencer, Ian, Kai and Tala to call him.

"You know that I would never reveal my deepest darkest secrets to you…not unless you were about to die that is…"

Struggling with renewed energy, despite his depleting blood supply, Bryan fought with Boris as the monster whispered all his darkest secrets to him. Eyes wide, the Falborg wielder gasped for breath at the horror invading his mind.

"Kai, no!!!" he screamed.

_Please, don't let him do that to Kai! Please!_

"Now, my pretty Falcon…die!"

As the lilac-haired blader stood there, Boris' gun to his head, he thought about his friends and how different they were to how the world perceived them.

Ian…Ian was a nice kid, whom even though was addicted to video games, really cared about anyone and anything that had a nice and gentle heart. He hadn't experience the really bad things at the Abbey, so he wasn't as badly tainted as the rest, but still, he had been through some pretty traumatic stuff.

Spencer…was the rock of the group. He was strong, physically and mentally, and held an aura of protectiveness around him that Bryan hadn't seen in a long time. He was perceived as the 'basher' of the group, when in reality, Spencer wouldn't hurt a fly. Although, it was a different story if the fly managed to hurt one of his friends…

Tala…the hothead of the bunch. He never knew when to stop joking around and Kai always seemed to be the butt of his jokes or the person who always got pranked. Tala never went anywhere without his Wolborg and sometimes – just sometimes – they hid the Wolf Beast from the redhead and watched him frantically search for it. Eventually, they always felt guilty and gave him back…All in all, Tala was a good person, who was not cold and heartless, but actually had a heart of gold…and of pranks to play on other – unsuspecting – people.

Kai…Kai was the one who had somehow – unconsciously – taken over the role as leader. At first the slate-haired boy had not wanted the role of leader but had eventually slipped into the role easily. His first task had been to get them to all respect him and trust him. It had taken a while, but they had succumbed to his charms in the end. Bryan knew that all Kai wanted was for someone to look up to him, someone who wouldn't always make him seem as if he was the scum of the earth and below. What the Russian leader didn't know was that they all looked up to him.

Snapping out of his reverie, Bryan watched with horror and tear filled eyes as Boris let him go and took a step back. The gun was leveled at his head and as Bryan started trembling, the slide was pulled back and a round slipped into the chamber, ready to fire.

_Oh god, I don't wanna die. Please don't let me die._

Taking in a deep breath, Bryan prepared himself for the bang that was to end his life. He looked up at the sky and heard people shouting and screaming. Some were even crying.

_People do care…_

_**

* * *

**_

_All you've ever wanted_

_Was someone to truly look up to you_

_And six feet / underground now_

_I do…_

_**

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**_

One final bang echoed throughout the sky and surrounding area and the last thing Bryan saw before everything went completely black was a single, brown feathered bird, its feathers flecked with red, flying above the crowd. It turned its beady black eyes toward him and Bryan smiled one last time. His falcon had come to see him off.

_Falborg…_

Then there was nothing.

**(A/N: I'm so sorry! But I had to do it, I just couldn't think of a way to keep him living! Sorry!)**

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**_

Kai sniffed and let the police officer hand him a hot mug of coffee, something he loved. He always had drunk coffee when he had been in the Abbey. He cut his own thoughts off as an image of Bryan emerged in his head. It wasn't a picture he wanted to see either.

He looked over to where Tala was lying on a makeshift stretcher. The redhead was still unconscious; he had been for some time. Obviously the shock of seeing one of his closest friends dead had been too much and had collapsed from shock. Kai couldn't blame him; he had almost done the same thing.

_Why did you have to leave, Bryan?_

The slate-haired blader looked at his reflection in the surface of his coffee. His image was distorted and brown, but he could still see the redness around his eyes and his pale complexion.

He was struggling to deal with the death and he knew it. Suddenly a thought raced through his distressed mind. Spencer and Ian probably didn't know!

"Can I borrow someone's phone?" Kai asked, his voice laced with urgency.

A slim black phone was handed over and Kai flipped it open and dialed a number he knew by heart. A ringing tone reached his ears as Kai placed the phone to his ear and a few seconds later there was a click as the person on the other end answered the call.

"_Hello?"_

"Spencer…it's Kai."

"_Kai?"_

"Yeah, look…there's something you guys need to know, but before I can tell you…you have to come to the stadium, now." Kai held back a sob. He really didn't want to them Ian and Spencer of Bryan's…passing…but he had to. He couldn't just let them find out on the TV or something similar.

"_Okay, Kai. We'll be down in a few."_

"Okay, Spence. See you soon." Kai flipped the phone shut and handed it back. He slumped back against the small concrete wall and struggled to hold his emotions in check. His stomach protested as the wound was aggravated again and he winced. Everything seemed to be going down the drain at a million miles an hour. It wasn't fair!

Pulling out Dranzer, the Russian teen stared at his blue beyblade and the bitchip residing in the center of the object. There was a flash of warmth and Kai smiled grimly. Dranzer was trying to comfort him as much as she possibly could, but Kai knew that it wouldn't do much good.

Suddenly, a black car pulled up outside the stadium and out stepped the two people Kai didn't want to see. The burly blonde was looking about himself confused whilst Ian's sight was locked on the ambulance and all of the police officers gathered around a certain place. The short Russian then saw Kai and waved to him.

"Hey, Kai!"

Kai's lips lifted in a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. He motioned for them to come over and they complied. Grimacing from the pain radiating from his stomach, Kai levered himself up into a standing position.

"Spencer…Ian…before you say anything, I have to get this out. It's gonna be hard for a while, but…"

"But what, Kai?" The blonde Russian frowned at his tone and Ka closed his eyes and sighed. The emotional pain running through his body was almost too much to handle, he had to get it out.

"Bryan's dead…"

As soon as those two words had been spoken, Kai felt their pain and misery wash over him, threatening to drown him along with the two bladers in front of him. Tears made their way down their pale cheeks, dropping to the ground with small splashes.

Looking away from the grieving bladers, Kai looked to the blue sky. He bit back angry curses and wondered why the hell it was such a beautiful and sunny day when someone – someone he cared about – had just been killed in cold blood. Why the hell couldn't it have been a stormy and cold day? At least then it would have matched his mood.

Kai breathed in deeply and his eyes widened as his breath hitched. Taking another deep breath, he was surprised when it happened again. Suddenly his body was assaulted by pain so fierce it made him cry out. He wasn't well, he knew that, but he didn't know that it was _this_ bad.

"Kai!"

His eyes fluttering shut ever so slowly, Kai an oxygen mask being placed over his mouth and a large amount of clean, refreshing oxygen was forced into his damaged and still healing lungs.

Just before he lost consciousness, Kai turned and saw Tala still out cold on the stretcher. A blanket had been placed over him for comfort and an oxygen mask had also been placed over his mouth. Kai didn't know why, but for some reason, seeing Tala safe made him feel a lot better than what he had a minute ago. Even if his best friend was unconscious, Kai knew that he was in good hands.

Deep crimson pools closed as the blue-haired blader finally succumbed to the exhaustion and shock overwhelming him and he was transported to the realm of sleep.

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**_

Voltaire stared at the woman who was standing in front of his desk. Iris Johansson was his most prized employee. She had risked everything to try and make sure that his brat of a grandson had died in the helicopter crash. Unfortunately, he hadn't died. Iris's eyes were cold as he gazed into their depths. They held no remorse for what she had done, no love, nothing. Just what he wanted. She was perfect for the jobs he wanted done.

"Yes, Lord Voltaire? What is it that you wanted?"

Iris had an arm in a sling from the helicopter crash. Beneath the sling there was white plaster showing that signified that her arm had been broken. The nurse had only been out of hospital for a few days now and was still fairly injured, but she had been adamant that she was well enough to finish the job.

"Right, Iris. I have a new job for you to complete. This is top-priority at the moment, okay?"

She nodded her head and Voltaire carried on. "I want you to eliminate a certain man I am beginning to detest."

Again, she nodded. "How would you like me to eliminate this _pest_, Sir? Any preferences?"

Voltaire shook his head. "No. I don't care how you get rid of him, I just want him gone."

"And who may this target be?"

"Boris Balkov…"

"What!?!"

Voltaire smirked at her reaction. He had expected her to act the way she was; now it was only a matter of time before Boris was out of the picture and then he could work on getting rid of his annoying grandson…

"Right, Iris. Boris is currently holding a number of top beybladers hostage at the BBA training stadium downtown. He has already managed to kill one of them and I would appreciate it if he didn't kill any more."

Iris' eyes widened at that statement and Voltaire realised that what he had said didn't sound the way he wanted it to.

"I mean, that I don't want him killing any more of those damn kids because it is _my_ job to do that. Boris is just another one of those men who want everything but don't want to plan and wait to get it. He is an impatient little shit who wont know what will hit him."

"Yes, Sir. I will start planning of ways to _dispose_ of the man as soon as possible. Is it all right if I have some help? There is someone I know who works at the hospital that would be of immense help."

Frowning, Voltaire thought about it. "Okay, but only if I get to meet this _help_ before you go arranging anything. Bring him here in three hours and I can give him a little job interview."

Iris felt the room with a small bow and Voltaire went back to looking at the files he had been searching through before she had arrived. He shifted uncomfortably as his leg started to itch. He knew that his leg couldn't possibly itch since he was paralysed, but one of his remaining doctors had said that there would be 'phantom' things that he would feel.

Growling in frustration, the elder Russian man flicked open a folder filled with information about his grandson and his friends. There were pictures of all the Blitzkrieg Boys – alone and in a group – and Voltaire saw the small smiles on their faces. He checked the date and saw that the photo had been taken the day after they had escaped the Abbey.

"Damn you, Kai!"

Seething, he found a single photo of a lilac-haired Russian boy and grabbed a black marker pen. He then proceeded to mark the photo with a big, black cross. Bryan had been disposed of and now all of his files could be destroyed. One down, four to go…

Staring at the smiling boys' photos, Voltaire ground his teeth in anger. They would be the downfall of BIOVOLT soon, unless he got rid of them first and then there would be no problem. He would be able to take over the beyblading world with no hassles what so ever.

The only thing that was standing in his way was Boris and Kai. Unknowingly, they had both chosen the wrong side of the battle. It was a three-sided war that was about to rage. Voltaire vs. Kai vs. Boris.

It was definitely going to be interesting to who would win the fight.

_**

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**_

Miguel couldn't believe that Bryan was dead. The boy who had tried to hard to save them all was…_gone…_

The blonde-haired Spaniard trembled slightly and hugged Mathilda tighter. She was crying into his chest and he could feel his t-shirt getting wet. He looked about himself and saw how most of the other teens in the room were crying also. The females were the worst.

Mathilda clutched his shirt as she cried and Miguel rubbed a hand reassuringly over her back. She was only young and to see someone she knew die was a traumatic thing for her.

"Shhh," he soothed. "It's okay…you're going to be okay."

As she cried, Miguel took the chance to look around at where all of the 'security men' were stationed. They were all dressed in black with no visible weapons on them. Miguel thought that it was strange that he couldn't see any weapons, but he also knew that they were most probably hiding them from view.

Miguel wondered what Kai and the others were doing at the time. He knew that Kai would most probably be in hospital because he was injured, but you never really knew with him. He just wanted to get out of the damn stadium and be able to breathe easily without fear of being killed for it.

He clenched his teeth as his fear threatened to spill over his threshold. He couldn't allow himself to show too much fear or else he – or someone he deeply cared about – would pay for it.

_Where are you, Kai? I need you, everyone need's you. Please help us…_

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**The end of the ninth chapter!!!**

**Now, I really need some help here. I am struggling to get these chapters out and am running out of ideas! I have never planned a fic in my life and I have no idea where this one is headed until I actually type up the thing. **

**If **_**anyone**_** has **_**any**_** ideas, please don't hesitate to tell me!**

**Oh, and please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I'm starting to think this fic is going all horribly wrong and I don't know what to do about it. Please help me! It would be greatly appreciated **

**Please review! **

**Until next time**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_

**Note: The lyrics used in this chapter are from a song called The Little Things Give You Away by Linkin Park off their new album Minutes To Midnight. It's a wicked album too! **


	10. Bryan's Return?

**Hey there everyone! Firstly, I would like to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed up till this chapter. I never thought I would get the amazing response for this fic as I have. It's really great. I also never thought that I would get to chapter ten either! And it's all thanks to you guys! **

**I would also like to thank d1bontemp for helping me with some ideas for this chapter and becasue of that, you now have a quick update! So, thanks!**

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A special thanks to… 

kavbj - I made you cry??? Is that a good thing...? Thanks so much for the review! I didn't know how Bryan's death would go down with everyone...Hope this update was quick enough!!! Also, I hope you enjoy it (Oh by the way, I am just about to read Lifes Sorrows and Regrets and I will tell you what I think of it tomorrow, k? I know it will be excellent!

godsfallenangel - Yay! You love it! Thanks so much for the review and I hope you enjoy this chappie!

d1bontemp - Yay, I'm glad you liked the chapter! Oh, I thought about your idea about going back to the bladers and thank you for it! I go back to them in this chapter and they have a little surprise waiting for them! Hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for all your kind words

FlyingShadow666 - Thanks for the review! I actually have no idea why I killed Bryan...but I didn't know how to keep him alive...Hopefully this update was quick enough for you! Enjoy

n-zelda-n - Thanks for the review, and for ebing honest with me I knew that my last couple of chapters weren't as good as my earlier ones, but hopefully this one is better? Please tell me what you think. Hope you enjoy!

XxSweet MitsukaixX - You're back! Yes, Bryan is dead -cries- Thank you for ALL your wonderful comments and for reviewing every chapter and not just the last one! THANK YOU! A shift of sides you say??? That idea might come in handy one day...-thinks evilly- but of course, it would be only used with your permission Is it really a captivating fic?? I hope this update was quick enough for you! I updated in less than a week! Thanks again and I really hope you enjoy this chapter.

Destiny Quill - A short review this time? Oh well, it's not the length that matters Thanks for the review! Medical gore knowledge? I'll let you in on a secret -whispers in Destiny Quill's ear- It comes from reading many a novel with descriptive gore and watching a lot of horror movies like The Hills Have Eyes. Gotta love that movie! And don't worry, our favourite Russians are back to normal now...well..sort of. -sweatdrops- Hope you enjoy!

Nameless Little Girl - I'm glad you loved it! Hopefully this update wsa quick enough Enjoy!

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**_DancerInTheDark101 _**

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**I****NNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 10: Bryan Returns?**

Kai stared about himself as he slowly awakened from his sleep. All around him, all he could see was white walls and white patches of a ceiling. He groaned as he realised that he had in fact been placed back in the hospital he detested so much. Another bed to his right caught his attention and familiar flaming hair peeked out from underneath the traditional white sheets.

_Goddamn this place needs to have a serious colour change._

Over on the other side of the room slept two other familiar shapes - Spencer and Ian. They were slumped in the chairs, their faces white and breathing deep and slow. Kai wondered if they were dreaming about their fallen friend. Thinking about Bryan brought back the sorrow that had laced his thoughts before the pain had arrived, but this time he screwed his eyes shut and forced the hurt to the back of his mind. He couldn't afford to be weighed down by hurt at the moment. Not when countless other bladers were in serious trouble. He would be able to mourn Bryan later, once they were all safe.

Biting his lip, the slate-haired Russian pushed himself up onto his elbows. His weakened body protested at the movement, but he ignored the stabs of pain. Blinking as the room spun, Kai realised that he must have been pumped full of painkillers and sleeping pills. Growling at the fact that it had been done without his consent, Kai took in a deep breath, testing how his lungs were operating.

He gave a sigh of relief when no stab of pain accompanied the deep breath. Maybe it was just the painkillers doing their job, but he was grateful all the same. Kai turned his head and looked out the window that was situated above his sleeping friends' heads. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and small drops of condensation glistened in what looked like the morning sun. His eyes widened as he realised what that signified. He had been asleep all night!

A pain-filled groan reverberated through the silent room and Kai turned his sight to the bed beside his. A movement from under the painfully white sheets signalled that the occupant was either just moving in his sleep or was about to wake. Kai agreed with the latter.

Kai smirked as he won his inner bet. The said occupant of the bed groaned again and a moment later two pools of blue ice cracked open. Tala blinked methodically and suddenly gave a huge yawn. Kai felt his eyes widen a little at the sight of the normally extremely composed Russian yawning like there was no tomorrow. As soon as the teen had finished his unbelievably long yawn, he turned his drug hazed gaze to him and Kai gave Tala a small smile – which actually looked like a smirk, but was a smile in their standards.

"Kai?" the Russian teen whispered. The red head's voice was husky and hoarse and Kai wondered if his was the same. Fortunately, he didn't have to find out as a doctor chose that exact moment to walk through the – once again, white – door.

"Ahh, boys!" he exclaimed as he saw that the two teens were awake, if only slightly. Kai rolled his eyes at the doctor's reaction and got a small snigger from his friend. The doctor frowned at the small noise and Kai couldn't believe how dense the man was. Doctors were supposed to be highly intelligent, but Kai bet on that the man before him couldn't distinguish a common cold from a bad bout of pneumonia.

"It's good to see you are both awake. We were getting quite worried there for a moment." Kai sighed inwardly, but didn't say a thing. He lay back against the pillows and folded his arms across his chest in his supposed 'normal stance.' The only difference being that he was currently lying down. He looked over and saw Tala staring at him, amusement shining in his blue eyes.

The doctor cleared his throat nervously and Kai fought the urge to laugh. The man was a joke. Just because he and Tala hadn't said a word since he had walked in, he was getting nervous. Kai suspected that someone had told the doctor about his and Tala's 'reputation' with being highly uncooperative with hospitals and the staff that worked there. Thinking about it, he couldn't really blame the guy for being nervous. Tala _was_ pretty scary looking…

"Huh-hum." The clearing of the throat continued and Kai glanced over at the doctor and took his appearance in. The man was young; he had sandy blonde hair that was styled and swept out of his face. Visible flesh was nicely tanned and Kai figured that the guy was one of those people who were concerned about their appearance. A pair of murky brown eyes complimented the blonde hair and clashed horribly with the thin, red scar that ran down the side of his tanned face.

A noise caught the doctor's attention and he started walking over to where Spencer and Ian were currently sleeping. Kai frowned at his actions and sat up slowly, not taking his eyes off the moving man. The doctor stopped before he reached the sleeping teens and knelt down. He placed a hand gently on Spencer's shoulder and shook him slightly. Angered, Kai was about to leap out of the bed and yell at the doctor to let them sleep, but a warning glare from Tala stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey, kid?" The doctor whispered quietly. Spencer stirred and opened an eye to glare at the person who had woken him from his sleep. Kai watched on anxiously as the tanned man continued to shake the blonde Russian.

"What?" came the mumbled reply from the half-asleep blader. Kai almost let out a very un-Kai laugh at the response, but he managed to catch himself before it was too late. Tala was also struggling not to laugh. The red head was currently choking on air and Kai watched with a bemused expression as the teen gasped for air, his face red.

"Kai? Tala?"

They both turned at the voice of Spencer. The doctor had managed to wake him up and now he was staring at them both with an almost fish-like expression on his features. Kai cracked a very un-Kai smile that sent Tala into hysterics. As the red head was laughing, Kai nodded to Spencer who in turn shook the youngest of them awake.

Ian came to with Spencer's shaking and Kai thought that the poor boy would be scarred for life, waking to see Tala trying to hold himself together and himself watching with a detached look on his face as if to say 'I don't know him, so why does he look familiar?'

"Are you two okay?" Spencer's worried voice reached his ears and Kai stopped looking at the laughing red head and shrugged. He opened his mouth to answer him and when he spoke his voice was indeed hoarse.

"I don't know, Spencer." He winced as his voice cracked. What the hell had they pumped into him? "I think the medication's gone to his head…" It was common knowledge that Tala didn't fare very well with loads of medication pumped into his body, courtesy of – once again – the Abbey. When they had been living – and he used the term very loosely – at the Abbey, Tala had had medication pumped into him left, right and centre as they tried to find how long it took the human body to become immune to different sorts of medication. Tala had been their guinea pig.

The blonde cocked his head to the side as he thought about it and Kai could almost see the gears turning in his head. "I guess you're right, Kai. You never know what medication will do to Tala these days…"

Kai couldn't do anything but agree. It was always a surprise to see what medication would do what to the red-haired Russian. So far, they had found out that cough medicine and Panadol tablets were safe to use, but they weren't so sure about Morphine and sleeping pills…

"What's going on?" Ian's voice piped up out of the blue. He was looking around the room, obviously confused at the sight of Tala laughing hysterically. His eyes were narrowed in concentration. Suddenly he burst out laughing. Kai's crimson orbs locked with Spencer's blue ones and they shared a look that said: 'hopefully it will pass and I hope like hell it isn't contagious.'

"What's so funny, Ian?" Kai asked. His voice was slowly starting to rid itself of the rough, gravelly sound it had possessed only a moment before and he was glad. He hated it when his voice sounded weak.

The shorter Russian stopped his laughing for a moment and looked at Kai, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You don't know, Kai? Wow!" Kai glared at the smaller boy and he let out a small squeak. "Okay, okay!" he surrendered. "It's just that I haven't seen Tala laughing like that in a _very_ long time and it's good to see…plus it's really funny!"

As Kai thought about it, the smaller boy did have a point. It _had_ been a very long time since they had seen Tala laughing the way he was now. Actually, it had been a long time since they had seen him laugh at all.

"Excuse me?" The voice that spoke up was slightly angered and held a hint of warning in it. Kai twisted his head to glare at the doctor who had ruined their moment of reminiscing the good times in their sad shadowed pasts. Kai had forgotten that the doctor was even in the room and he bit his lip.

Whoops. Forgot 'bout him… 

"Now, if you two would like to come with me," he pointed to Spencer and Ian and Kai's brow furrowed in suspicion as he wondered what the doctor wanted with the two teens. As they were flowing the doctor out of the room, Kai caught the look on their faces. He nodded as their expressions told him that it would be okay. They would be able to look after themselves.

However, Kai couldn't help worrying. They all had just lost a very good friend and now two of them were being lead out of the room, not knowing whom the doctor really was and what his intentions really were.

Sighing in defeat as the door shut with a resounding _click_, Kai leant back against the pillows and watched as Tala calmed down enough to spit a few words out.

"What the hell did they pump into me, Kai?" He then proceeded to chuckle, his face red from the lack of oxygen. Very soon after, Tala slumped down onto the bed. His chuckling had stopped and it was replaced with the deep, rhythmic breathing that said the teen was sound asleep. Shaking his head in amusement, Kai rubbed his face as exhaustion started to set in. The effects of the medication hadn't completely worn off yet and he was starting to once again get tired.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep again, Bryan on his thoughts, the door opened again and in walked a man Kai had known for a very long time, as long as he had been on the beyblading scene. Stanley Dickenson had just walked through the door. Kai groaned quietly as Tyson, Rei and Max walked in the door behind the head of the BBA. The members of G Revolution were chatting quietly amongst themselves, but all conversation came to an abrupt halt as they saw that he was awake.

"KAI!" He winced as Tyson's loud voice sounded in his ear. The navy-haired Japanese teen flung his arms around him in an awkward hug because of the bed and Kai grimaced. He _really_ didn't like hugs, especially from Tyson. Luckily Mr. Dickenson noticed and a moment later Kai felt the pressure ease from around his chest and he got a view of his 'team' standing around the bed.

It had been just over a day since he had last seen them and to tell the truth, they looked absolutely awful. Black bags were visible under their eyes and Kai could see that they had been crying quite a bit from the redness of their eyes. Rei's face was pale; his usually tanned cheeks had taken on an off-white colour.

"Hey, Kai. How you feeling?" Kai knew that Mr. Dickenson wasn't talking about his physical condition. He was talking about the pain that he had been hiding deep inside his heart; the pain that came with the loss of a treasured friend.

Swallowing, Kai graced the present teens and elder with a small smile. "I guess I'm doing okay…" His voice seemed incredibly small and he inwardly winced. He wished his voice would gain strength so he could speak properly. All he got from his sentence was a few looks of pity and sorrow. Rei gave him a small smile to match his, but it was laced with sadness.

Kai hated sadness and it seemed to cover the room like a suffocating blanket that wanted to dissipate the remote amount of happiness in the room. Taking in a deep breath, Kai looked up at the elder man in the room. "I'll be okay," he said again, this time his voice stronger.

Someone stirred and Kai glanced past the bladers to where Tala was lying, still asleep. The Russian teen was curled up on his side with his back facing Kai. His red hair was splayed over the white pillow and contrasted deeply with the white of the said pillow.

"How is he?" Mr. Dickenson shot a worried glance at the sleeping teen that Kai didn't miss. The elder man was concerned for the Blitzkrieg Boy and wasn't showing any sign of hiding it.

"I don't know," Kai replied. His voice was now most definitely stronger and it pleased him greatly. "He has only woken up for a short amount of time, but fell asleep again pretty quickly." Kai left out the part about the hysterical laughing, as he didn't want to have to explain why the normally stoic teen would be laughing hysterically. They didn't have to know all the horrors of the Abbey and it wasn't his place to tell them.

Frowning a little, Kai glanced at each person in the room slightly before asking them the question that had been plaguing him sine they had walked through the door. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be busy with trying to get all of the captured bladers out?"

Mr. Dickenson sighed and Kai watched him gathering his thoughts, waiting for the elder man to speak. In the end, it wasn't Mr. D who answered his question. Tyson piped up and looked him in the eye before telling him why they were there. "Kai…Those bladers who have been taken hostage have the best help on hand, with the police helping and everything, but you don't have a lot of people to help you through everything. Right now, you're more important."

Kai was stunned. He hadn't thought that _Tyson_ of all people held that much…_empathy_. His eyes darted around at Max, Rei and Mr. Dickenson and saw that their expressions were pretty much the same as his: shocked. Obviously, he wasn't the only one who was surprised at what had come out of Tyson's mouth only moments before.

"_Tyson?_ Are you sure it was you that just said all those things?" Max asked, his blue eyes wide in bewilderment. All he received was a confused look from the world champ and Max sweatdropped. "Tyson? Are you okay?"

The navy-haired teen didn't reply and Kai found his gaze wandering to where Tyson's was currently latched onto. Kai looked out the window and saw the brown bird sitting on a branch in the tree right outside the window. At first, Kai wondered what the hell Tyson was so shocked at, but at a second glance Kai felt his mouth drop open too. The bird looked like Falborg…only a hell of a lot smaller.

"Falborg?" The whisper went unheard to the rest of the people in the room and Kai continued to stare at the bird. "Bryan?" That word caught everyone's attention and Kai felt their stares eating into him, but he paid them no attention. "Bryan, what are you trying to say?"

The bird turned its brown coloured head towards the occupants of the room and Kai found himself staring into a pair of startling lilac coloured orbs. The bird's eyes were the exact colour the Bryan's were. Kai had to mentally remind himself that Bryan wasn't around anymore, so anything concerned with the lilac-haired teen was now in past tense.

Kai felt himself drowning in the pale purple orbs and had to blink before he lost himself completely. The bird let out a loud screech before spreading its wings and taking a leap off the branch. Kai's breath hitched as it disappeared from view and he feared that it had fallen to its death, but a moment later it appeared again its wings extended majestically around its small body as it flew into the bright sunlight.

Once it had disappeared, Kai allowed himself to let out the breath he had unconsciously holding. He seemed to deflate in on himself and saw the worried looks his friends were shooting him. He ignored them and looked at the elderly man in the room as a hand was placed on his shoulder. "It's okay, Kai," came the soothing words from the head of the BBA.

"What the hell just happened!?" Tyson's shocked shriek pierced his ears and Kai winced. Why the hell could he be even just a _little_ quieter?

"I think,' Kai started. All eyes turned to him as he continued to speak. "I think that Bryan just paid a visit and was letting us know that he was doing okay, where ever he is…" Silence greeted his statement and Kai saw that his words had hit them all hard. It wasn't very often – pretty much non-existent – that a fellow beyblader died. Even more rare was if they were murdered, which was how Bryan had passed away. Kai made a silent vow then and there, in the wake of the bird's disappearance that he would avenge Bryan's death with everything he had and he _would not_ let Boris or his grandfather get away with anything any more.

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Miguel studied his surroundings as Mathilda latched onto his arm. They had been forced to spend the night in the main training room, with only a thing blanket for protection against the cold. In his short-sleeved shirt, Miguel was shivering violently after lending Mathilda his blanket so that she managed to keep warm. A few years before, the pink-haired girl had suffered from a severe case of hypothermia and had almost died; Miguel didn't want a repeat of that.

"Miguel? I'm scared…" Miguel turned and rubbed Mathilda on the arm. She was also shivering slightly, but not because of the cold. She was afraid, they all were. Ever since Bryan had fallen, Miguel had seen the fear etched onto the captured bladers' faces. He also had the same look. Fear was a very hard emotion to hide. He didn't know how Kai did it.

With the thought of Kai running through his head, a wave of concern ripped through him for the slate–haired teen. He knew that Kai was badly hurt and in need of medical attention and on top of everything, the man he despised had just murdered one of his closest friends.

He really didn't envy the Russian teen at the moment and Miguel couldn't help but feel sorrow and pity towards him. He knew that his feelings towards the boy most probably played a big factor in the concern that was running through his body like electricity. Kai had always stayed silent and levelheaded in hard situations and he found himself wondering what he would be like when the grief or pain became too much for him to handle. Personally, Miguel didn't ever want to find out. It would probably kill him to see the boy he loved in so much pain that he couldn't maintain his cold mask.

"Miguel?" A soft voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked down to see Mathilda looking up at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. As her bottom lip trembled, the blonde Spanish blader grabbed her arm and hugged her. Her tears released and Miguel felt his shirt become wet from the salty drops escaping from her eyes. He hated, absolutely hated it, when people cried. It made his heart break with anger at the person or people who had caused the tears to fall in the first place.

"Shhh Mathilda. It's going to be okay. Someone will come and get us out. I promise." He wasn't sure if he believed his own promise, but he had to say it, for Mathilda's sake. She was scared and telling her the truth wouldn't help her at all. He didn't think that it would help him either if he voiced it aloud. Sometimes the truth was best covered up and changed a little.

"Miguel!" He turned as his name echoed through the large training room. Lee from White Tiger X was calling him, his arm waving at him frantically. His brow furrowing in confusion, Miguel let Mathilda gently to the ground and ran over to where the teen was standing.

"What is it?" he asked.

The White Tiger grabbed his arm and lead him away to a quieter, secluded part of the room where a few other of the stronger bladers had gathered. Miguel cocked his head to the side as he heard what they were talking about. His mouth dropped open as the situation dawned on him. What they wanted to do was sure suicide. It was crazy and Miguel voiced his opinions, quite loudly.

"Are you crazy!?!"

All the bladers turned to stare at him after his outburst. He really didn't care about the angry looks he was getting or the ones of worry – worry if anyone else had heard his shout. Michael – from the All Starz – was giving him a vicious glare, but Miguel just shrugged it off.

"If you're trying to impersonate Kai, you're doing a really bad job of it." The tone of which he had spoken was calm and somewhat detached. It riled up Michael and Miguel swore he saw steam coming out of the American's ears. "Calm down, Mike. Before you blow a gasket, please." This only succeeded in riling the American blader even more and before he knew it, he was lying on the ground with Michael ready to punch his head in. He heard yelling, but the blow to his head had affected his hearing so all of the shouting sounded muffled and distorted.

"Goddamn it Miguel!' Finally, his hearing returned to him and he caught on to the anger filled shouts aimed at him. "Are you trying to get us all killed!?!"

Miguel just shook his head as someone held out their hand to help him back onto his feet. Once on his feet again, he swayed a little and almost fell, but someone held onto him. Grateful, Miguel turned to the one who had stopped him from falling, only to see no one there. Surprised, he looked around trying to see anyone close enough to do that. Only, no one was close enough.

_What the hell? What just happened?_

As his vision landed on the window to the right of them, he saw a small bird standing still. It was brown coloured with specks of red spread through the feathers. The bird turned its head towards him and Miguel let out an audible gasp. Everyone turned to where he was staring and let out similar gasps. The bird had lilac eyes, the same colour as Bryan had…

"Bryan?" Miguel whispered, his voice low and filled with awe and lament. The bird stared right back at him and Miguel saw the bird's eyes flash with some form of recognition, but it was just for a quick moment. A second later, the bird's eyes were back to the lilac they had all seen in the fallen blader. The bird let out a loud screech and flew above their heads towards where masses of BIOVOLT soldiers were gathered together. Miguel watched, fascinated, as the bird dove at the soldiers, ripping things off their bodies and letting the blood run.

The bird then let out an almighty cry and flew through an open widow that was situated high above their heads. Miguel stood still after the bird had gone, shocked. He couldn't believe what had just happened. The BIOVOLT soldiers were still trying to gather their things that the bird had pecked off them and dropped in various places all over the floor and paid no attention to the group of beybladers standing together. Miguel couldn't believe it. Had Bryan actually come back to help them in the form of a bird, a bird that coincidently looked like a small version of his bitbeast Falborg? Was it even possible?

"Whoa…" The blonde haired Spaniard turned as the rest of the bladers started to move around again. They were all shocked as well, their faces showing expressions of surprise, shock and even a little gratitude towards the unknown bird. Miguel smiled slightly and bowed his head whilst the others started to talk again.

"If that was you, Bryan…Thank you…" he whispered quietly so that no one else could hear him, "thank you…"

"Miguel!"

Smiling broadly, Miguel went over and joined the rest of the stronger bladers and listened in to what they were talking about. Ever since the bird had shown up, Miguel noted that they weren't so 'I don't care if I die, I just want everyone else to be safe' anymore. They were thinking strategically and thinking of how _everyone_ – including themselves – could get out with the least amount of injuries.

_Kai would be proud…_he thought. For some reason, his thoughts kept going back to the slate-haired blader that he had fallen for so deeply. There was just something about him that intrigued him so much. He had no idea of what that thing actually was, but it didn't matter to him. All that mattered was the fact that he was in love with Kai. He knew that Kai didn't feel the same way towards him, but for some reason it didn't faze him. He vowed to himself that, if he ever got out of the BBA building, he would tell Kai how he felt about the teen. If Kai confirmed his suspicions that he didn't feel the same way, then that was fine. He wouldn't be able to be mad with the slate-haired enigma.

"Miguel! Snap out of it!" Miguel shook his head as a person shouting at him disrupted his thoughts. There was something disturbing about the tone of the voice, but he didn't pay any attention to it until he saw the fear etched onto his friends' faces. Michael was yelling at him, his voice clipped with a terrible fear.

The blonde Spaniard's mouth dropped in horror as he saw some of the BIOVOLT men advancing on them menacingly. Their guns were cocked and loaded and held in front of their bodies. Miguel backed up against the wall along with Michael, Lee, Johnny, Robert, Claude and the only female of the group, Mariah. He felt his heart beating hard within his chest, wondering if he was going to die. He didn't want to die, but if he had to die, he wanted Kai to know his feelings for him before he passed away.

_Oh god, I've fallen for Kai real bad…_

As the thought ran through his mind, Miguel noticed that the BIOVOLT men were fanned out in a formation that looked as though they were hiding something behind them. Miguel craned his neck and head to the side, trying to get a good look at what was behind the soldiers. Unfortunately, he didn't get a look before it was too late.

The BIOVOLT soldiers – with their guns still at the ready – pulled out of their formation and revealed the two bladers that had been expertly hidden only moments before. Miguel gasped as he saw who they were. The bladers stood in positions that oozed confidence and arrogance. They were both holding beyblades in their hands and it seemed as though a dark aura surrounded the new arrivals.

Miguel shivered under their intense glares that held an air of evil. Smirks decorated their faces as they stared him and the other bladers pushed up against the wall down. He couldn't believe that Boris had brought two of _the_ most feared bladers in the world on his side to take down the BBA, or whatever it was that Boris wanted to accomplish by taking them all hostage.

"Well hello there."

Miguel flinched as little as the malice was made evident in one of the blader's voice. It was filled with amusement and what strangely sounded like…glee? The blader who had spoken licked his lips and Miguel couldn't hide the feeling of disgust that ran through him. Soon enough, the person who disgusted him turned his attention on him.

"Well, what have we got here? A nice little blondie whom thinks he's better than us? Hah, that would be the day!" He looked over at his companion and rolled his green eyes. "What'd you say, Garland? Shall we give them the battle they so desperately want to lose?"

The other person shrugged his shoulders, but didn't say anything. "If you want to, Brooklyn. If you wanna take the blondie on, then be my guest. I'll sit back and enjoy the show."

"You ready, Miguel? Ready for a thrashing? I'll beat you and rip you of your precious bitbeast and then I'll rip the very happiness from your soul and feed it to my beloved bitbeast for a meal. How does that sound?"

Miguel swallowed visibly as Brooklyn spoke. His words were laced with something so evil that Miguel couldn't put his finger on it. The orange haired boy seemed to be coated in a layer of darkness that not even a scared spirit of light could penetrate. Miguel realised, with sinking certainty that he was going to lose and lose his bitbeast in the process. And that wasn't counting the fact that Brooklyn had promised to feed his very happiness to his dark bitbeast.

With a strength he didn't know he had, Miguel took out his launcher and beyblade. "Let's do this then, shall we?"

Brooklyn laughed. His green eyes shone with suppressed glee that Miguel shivered under. There was something seriously wrong with the former BEGA blader.

"Right, here we go!" Brooklyn then proceeded to take out his own launcher and then pulled out a beyblade so black that Miguel could feel the evil coming off it in waves. "I would like you to meet my improved best friend: Zeus!"

Garland nodded to Brooklyn who nodded back. "Three, two, one…Let it rip!"

With the completion of the sentence Miguel had heard countless times in his life, the battle of his life began. Whether he would make it out in one piece – body or mind – was about to be determined.

_Oh god, what I have got myself into now? Please, Kai. Help me…_

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**Cliffhanger alert!!! This is where Chapter 10 of IFOF ends! **

**How did you like? Please tell me what you think I personally think it is better than my last couple of chapters, but it's really up to you to tell me if it's better or not. **

**Thanks so much for reading this fic up till now. It means a lot to have so many lovely readers and reviewers!**

**Till next time **

_**DancerInTheDark101**_


	11. Hand Of Sorrow

**Hay there everyone! Here's the eleventh chapter of Inner Fury Of Fire! I never thought that this fic would be as popular as it is and I greatly appreciate all the feedback you give me, so THANKS!**

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A special thanks to…

kavbj - thanks for the review, you were first...again! lol. Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments, they make me blush. Hopefully this was fast enough for you??? Enjoy!

FlyingShadow666 - hehe, Kai to the rescue! Thanks for reviewing! A very interesting indea about bringing Byran back and I hate to say it, but I don't think Bryan will be coming back :( He is still mentioned a lot though...Sorry! Pairings...hmmm...I don't think there will be any pairings in this fic. There is implied onesided Miguel/Kai, but that's as far as it goes..Sorry again! Hope you enjoyt this chapter

XxSweet MitsukaixX - yay, I cheered you up! lol. Thanks for the wonderful review! I can't say anything about Miguel or Kai at this point in time, you'll just have to read to find out...-evil cackle- I don't think there will be a pairing for this fic. There is implied onesided Miguel/Kai, but that's about it, sorry! Hope you like this chapter just as much as you did the last!

n-zelda-n - thanks so much for the review! Sorry about the spelling mistakes, obviosuly my spell-checker decided not to work...lol. Ahh, yes, creepy Brooklyn...I hadn't thought about putting him in here either, but then I realised that I needed anther bad guy (sort of) and he was the first one to come to mind! Hope you enjoy this chapter

Destiny Quill - thanks for the review! Hehe, The Rasmus rocks! lol. When I got their album Dead Letters, it was the only thing I listened to for about a month! About not being 'scatterbrained,' i have no idea! lol. It just seems to come to me and I write it down...Thanks for the constructive criticism, I will be sure to remember that in future! I hadn't actually realised I had rambled that much...so thanks! You admire my ability to write so much in so little time? I think that my updates are slow...but if you are staying happy, that's a good thing! BIOVOLT is just a means of a gourp of people being controlled by a bigger, more evil man -mwha ha ha ha- and yes, you were right about the Kai thing, but there is a twist in this chapter! Hope you enjoy this chapter

Keight Ylonen - a new reviewer! yay! welcome I saw your pen name and thought 'wow, this person has a last name as my favourite lead singer! -Lauri Ylonen- Thanks for the review! I don't think I am going to introduce MingMing and Moses into this fic. I never really saw them in the episodes, so I don't know enough to write about them, sorry! Hope you enjoy

Elemental Gypsy - thanks for the reivew! Don't worry, Miguel won't die...yet. -evil laugh- I may kill him, I may not. Probably not though, so don't worry I didn't know how to keep Bryan alive, so my only option (after hours and hours of thinking how to keep him alive) was to kill him :( He is mentioned quite a bit though. Hehe, a lot of people seem to like the Miguel/Kai...why is that? I don't mind that you didn't review last chapter, you couldn't help it. Hope you enjoy this chapter

Nameless Little Girl - wow, all in capitals!! Does that mean you _really_ like???? Anyways, thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy this chapter

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**_DancerInTheDark101_**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**Chapter 11: Hand Of Sorrow**

Kai's face was set in a grim expression, thinking hard. There were still many bladers trapped in the BBA training building and he had to find a way for them to be freed. He knew that Boris was behind everything, but what he didn't know was _why _the Russian man was doing it. What was he trying to achieve with taking bladers hostage? Maybe the man was trying to get to him…The thought had passed through his mind more than once on a common basis, but he hadn't thought about it in real depth.

Sighing, he rubbed his face with his hand. He was tried, mainly from the strain of staying awake at all hours of the day and night, not to mention his injuries weren't helping at all. Looking over to the other occupants of the room, Kai saw Tala sitting up in his bed, staring at him. Tala's ice blue eyes were laced with concern and Kai could practically thinking about the same thing he was.

"What are we going to do, Kai?" The question came from Spencer, who was seated beside Tala's bed. His arms were folded across his chest and a frown decorated his face.

"I really don't know, Spence. We all know that we have to find a way to get them out, but it's just _how_ we're going to do that. Boris will most certainly have the place guarded closely. I think…I think he's after me again…"

The room was coated in silence after his last statement. Shock seemed to suck the happiness out of the room and a sense of dread swept in. Kai couldn't help but feel responsible for Bryan's death. If it was true and Boris was after him, then the Russian man had most likely killed the teen to get to him. It made Kai furious just thinking about it.

"It's not your fault, Kai. You should know that by now." Kai turned, shocked, to see Tala staring at him with intense blue eyes. An icy flame burned in their depths. Something Kai hadn't seen for a very long time.

"Tala?"

"Bryan's death wasn't your fault. It was Boris' fault, because he shot him in cold blood. Bryan wouldn't like the fact that you're blaming yourself, Kai. We know that, you know that."

Kai looked down, his two-toned hair shadowing his crimson eyes, hiding his expression from view. He didn't want them to see how much he blamed himself, how much he was sinking into depression. It was pretty common knowledge that he hadn't had a very good life and there were some times when it got too much. Those were the times that Kai hated the most. Mainly because he knew nothing was his fault, but for some reason he still ended up blaming himself for everything.

"I know it wasn't my fault, Tal, but it doesn't stop me from blaming myself. Even though it isn't true…"

He looked up to meet his friends' gazes and saw the understanding in their eyes. They all knew what he was going through, they had been through it as well. It was because of their horrific pasts.

A hand landed on his shoulder and Kai jerked, surprised. He turned his head and his crimson orbs collided with twin pools of flaming lilac. A gossamer figure of Bryan stood beside him, a ghost of a smile on his features. His pale skin looked even more pallid as the room was visible through his form and Kai felt his mouth drop open a little. A flash of something flitted through his dead friend's eyes – something that resembled pain. Bryan's ghost leant in closer to Kai and Kai felt a cold air brush his ear as Bryan whispered something to him.

"Don't be afraid, Kai. I wont let anything happen to you, Tala, Spencer, Ian and anyone else you care about. That's a promise. I have to go now, please look after Falborg for me. He will know when I am near. Goodbye…my friend."

As those last words were uttered, a slight, but cold wind blew through the open window and the image of Bryan disappeared with the wind. Kai stayed completely still and he swore he could have heard Bryan's distinctive laugh faintly.

"Bryan…"

"What?" chorused the people in the room. Kai looked at them strangely.

"What do you mean 'what?'" he asked.

"You said 'Bryan'…What's going on, Kai?" The red head asked, his voice laced with concern for his friend.

Kai suddenly found the floor very interesting. It was plain obvious that the other three in the room hadn't seen the gossamer image of their dead friend. He found himself wondering why Bryan hadn't visited them instead of himself. What he did possess that the other three didn't?

When he spoke, his eyes were still trained on the floor. He couldn't bring himself to look at their faces when he told them that Bryan had visited him and not them. "Ahh…I was visited…by…Bryan…"

There was complete silence as the statement sunk in. Then came the rage. "What the hell do you mean, Kai!? Bryan couldn't have visited you! In case you have forgotten, _he is dead!_"

The harsh words spoken by Ian pierced Kai straight through his heart. Of course he knew that Bryan was dead. How the hell could he forget? Bryan was one of his best friends; he couldn't just forget him, no matter how much he tried. The memory was one that he knew would never leave him.

"I know that, Ian!" Kai's voice was filled with pain and sorrow. "Don't you think I know that!? Bryan was one of my closest friends, I can't just forget that he's dead!" He paused to gather his thoughts and emotions. It wasn't helping that he was getting worked up about it all. "Bryan visited me. He wasn't exactly in _human_ form though…he was more like, what you could call, a ghost."

Once again, his words were greeted by an ever-familiar silence. He knew that they would be thinking the same thing he had: why him and not them?

"What did he say, Kai?"

Kai glanced at Tala. The red head was staring intently at him. "He said that I shouldn't be afraid, that he would protect me, you guys and anyone else I care about. He promised me…He also told me to take good care of Falborg. Apparently the falcon will know when he's near."

Tears were threatening to fall, but Kai held them in. He had done enough crying to last him an entire lifetime, twice. He really didn't want to cry anymore.

"We have to do something," came the statement from Tala. His eyes were burning with a passion Kai had only seen once before. Once when they were adamant they were going to escape from the Abbey and leave the pain and suffering behind. In the end Kai was the only one who had escaped. Unfortunately, he couldn't leave the pain behind and it had been with him ever since. "We have to get everyone out of the damn building and get Boris locked up for good."

Kai nodded, his eyes mirroring Tala's. He nodded and a small smile graced his lips and soon they were all smiling. Bryan would be with them no matter what happened and they _were_ going to avenge his death. Boris was going to go down with a bang, all they now needed to do was find out a way to do that without anymore deaths or serious injuries.

* * *

Miguel watched as Brooklyn's blade circled his own. It had amazing speed and he was having trouble trying to keep up and dodging his attacks. The black blade had certainly been upgraded since Miguel had last seen it, which was a very big worry. Kai's battle with Brooklyn had shown the amazing power the blade and Brooklyn's bitbeast had and Miguel was certainly worried as to how much more power he had acquired in the time that had passed since then.

"Zeus, attack!" bellowed Brooklyn. Miguel was snapped out of his thoughts as the said black beyblade charged at his own. Concentrating, he ordered his blade to dodge and felt a surge of relief as his blade narrowly avoided being hit. Smoke rose from where the two blades had almost collided and Miguel raised an arm to protect his eyes from the smoke.

A whirring noise caught his attention and a moment later a black blade shot out from behind the wall of smoke and dust, heading straight for him. Gasping, he ducked and managed to avoid a direct hit, but the sharp edges of the attack ring still managed to nick him on the cheek and a thin, red line appeared. Bright red blood dripped from the cut and ran down the side of his face.

Annoyed, Miguel locked eyes with Brooklyn's green ones. His own blue ones were filled with fury for the cheap tactic. Brooklyn was going too far if he was willing to hurt the blader as well as the blade.

"You are going down, Brooklyn," he spoke menacingly, his normally light-hearted expression gone and replaced with one of contempt and dislike.

He heard shouting from behind him and let a small smile grace his features as he realised it was the rest of the captured bladers cheering for him. He wasn't about to let them down. "Go, attack now!" His blade shot forward with increased speed and agility, managing to avoid the dark blade trying to knock it out of the dish. Sparks flew as the blades clashed together, black merging with his own blue one.

Breathing heavily, the blonde-haired Spanish blader watched as Brooklyn made his blade call of the attack and it obeyed and went to its owner's feet. There, the black blade began to spin furiously, creating a dust cloud that seemed to be laced with a dark mist. What the hell was Brooklyn up to?

The answer became apparent only a few seconds later when Brooklyn glared at him, slightly disconnected. The orange-haired blader's green eyes were filled with hatred and an evil so black that Miguel thought it had come from the pits of Hell itself.

"Zeus! King Of Darkness attack!"

A sudden cold air washed over Miguel as a dark light erupted from the bitchip residing in the middle of the black beyblade. A loud screech echoed throughout the room and Miguel covered his eyes as a magnificent demonic-like bitbeast emerged. It was bathed in a light so dark, it illuminated the room with shadows. (A/N: I know most of that sentence doesn't make any sense, but it's kinda like the black light bulbs you can get. The ones that cast real creepy light).

Shivering under the intense glare of the bitbeast, Miguel started to call out his own bitbeast, only to find that it wouldn't obey. No matter how hard he tried, his bitbeast would not appear. Extremely afraid now, Miguel swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to stay at least a little calm. Brooklyn's bitbeast was magnificent, even if it was a little dark and dim. It oozed power that he hadn't seen in a very long time. The only other bitbeast Miguel had ever heard of that had anything remotely close to what Zeus possessed was Black Dranzer. However, Black Dranzer had been missing for some time now and no one knew where the evil counterpart to Dranzer was.

"Oh shit. What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

A loud roar reverberated and Miguel winced. He had no idea how he was supposed to beat – let alone survive – the battle with Brooklyn. He was starting to panic and that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Come on, think," he whispered to himself. "What is this bitbeast's weakness?"

_Oh come on! Stop fooling yourself! It has _no_ weakness! _

"Come on, Miguel!" The blonde looked over to where his friends and fellow bladers were standing. They had grim smiles on their faces, but were cheering him along, none-the-less.

"Attack now!" His blue blade shot forward again and slammed into Brooklyn's black blade with a force so powerful that Miguel was thrown backwards slightly. Brooklyn's eyes widened slightly and Miguel felt a rush of pride run through him. He had stunned the former BEGA blader and that was a good thing. It showed that he wasn't as stupid or weak as Brooklyn had obviously first thought. It would make him wearier about when and how to attack him and would hopefully give him some much-needed time to think and find a strategy of how to survive the battle. He pretty much knew that he wouldn't win, but if he were able to make it hard for Brooklyn, it would make him feel a lot better.

"Why you little pest!" growled Brooklyn. "You're going to pay for that!" What he was paying for, Miguel didn't know, but he really didn't want to find out.

"Zeus! Extermination Of Shadows!"

The demonic-like bitbeast suddenly emerged from the cloud of darkness that had covered it ever since it had appeared from its beyblade and Miguel caught a glimpse of one of the most powerful – if not the most powerful – bitbeasts in the world.

Zeus didn't look anything like a god. Instead, it more resembled the devil. A large bird, Zeus was black from head to tail, with splashes of blood coloured on its tail and horns. It's eyes were the same colour again. Huge wings protruded from it's back, unfurling around its large body. Spikes coloured red and black were visible along its tail, which ended in a particularly nasty-looking spike. A long red tongue appeared from between two rows of dangerous, white teeth and licked them. The bitbeast obviously wanted to have a feed and Miguel just hoped that he wasn't on the menu…

Zeus roared again and lunged at him. Miguel gasped and ducked, narrowly avoiding rows of extremely sharp teeth. The bitbeast was crazy, hungry for power and obviously a good feed.

Miguel screamed as Zeus flew at him again, this time the dark best managed to clip his shoulder with the sharp spike on the end of its tail. A large gasp appeared and gushed blood. Miguel put a hand on the wound, trying to staunch at least some of the flow of blood. He wouldn't be able to survive many more attacks like the one he had just been dealt. Hopefully there wouldn't be too many more.

Breathing heavily and trying to stop the blood from flowing from his wounded shoulder, Miguel stood still. His stance was strong, his face impassive. He wasn't going to lose to Brooklyn that easily. If he was to lose, he was going to go down with a fight – bitbeast or no bitbeast.

_**

* * *

**_

Kai ran down the hallway of the hospital, Tala, Ian and Spencer on his heels. They had finally managed to devise a plan that they thought may work and now were in the process of escaping the dreaded hospital. Tyson and the rest of G Revolution were still currently in the building, so Kai knew that he had to be extra careful when approaching the hospital canteen, knowing full well that that was where they would be.

He was panting slightly, his injuries aggravating him. He paid no attention to the pain that happened to be shooting through his body and concentrated on how to get out of the building. Once they were out, they would be able to prepare for the plan and finally get the bladers out of the hostage situation and hopefully get rid of Boris once and for all. Kai had added a small part into the plan that the others didn't know about and he hoped that it would stay that way until he was ready to complete the plan.

"Right," he motioned for the others to follow him. "We have to go this way, otherwise G Rev will notice us."

They all nodded and Kai gave them a slight nod of his head as well. He stealthily made his way along the corridor, trying to remain inconspicuous amongst the doctors and nurses wandering the hallways as well. After what seemed hours of hiding and sneaking around, daylight greeted them in the great outdoors. It was only the hospital car park, but it was better than being stuck inside the building and not being able to do anything worthwhile.

Kai started to make his way over to where a lone car was parked. He smirked at the others and pulled out a set out keys that he had managed to 'borrow' off Mr. Dickenson when they had visited. The car wasn't a very flashy one, but it would do the job that they wanted it for.

"Let's go."

He got into the driver's side and turned the key in the ignition. The car started with a slight splutter, but then purred into life. Kai smirked again and floored the gas pedal. The car shot off in the direction of the BBA training building.

Ten minutes and a few stops later, they arrived at the training stadium. Car parked the car behind the stadium where there were no reporters, fans or concerned spectators. They all filed out of the car and stood, looking up at the place where their friend had been slain in cold blood.

"We're doing this for Bryan as well, guys. Don't forget that. He's always going to be with us, only it will be in spirit this time." Kai's tone was somber, his eyes downcast and shadowed. They were all feeling the same thing. They were about to enter one of the last things their friend had seen before being led outside, blindfolded, and shot.

"For Bryan…" they all echoed. Kai looked to the sky as a small bird that looked like a familiar falcon flew overhead. He smiled and looked at the others. "He's here. Let's do it."

Kai picked the lock on the back door and carefully opened it. There was a slight click as the lock opened and Kai looked inside, his head barely inside. Beyond the door there was a short hallway with many doors branching off it. He waved his hand to Tala, Ian and Spencer and snuck inside. They followed him and Kai locked the door after him. They had to be careful now as they were in the enemy's territory.

Knowing Boris, he had guards from BIOVOLT stationed almost everywhere and it confused Kai as to how it had been so easy to actually get inside the building. Surely Boris wasn't that stupid…

Just as that thought raced through his mind, a BIOVOLT soldier lazily walked through one of the adjoining doors. Kai whipped a different door open and rushed inside, dragging Tala, Ian and Spencer with him. A moment later, the sound of boot-clad footsteps could be heard right outside the door and Kai unconsciously held his breath. They were screwed if the BIOVOLT solider found them now. Boris would probably kill them too.

"God, I wonder if Brooklyn would really kill that kid? He seems to be enjoying hurting the kid pretty bad. I wouldn't be surprised if he keeled over soon." The guard seemed to be talking to another guard via a portable radio. Kai was surprised. Brooklyn was now involved? That made things slightly more complicated, but it wasn't something that they couldn't handle. He was also curious as to whom the 'kid' as the guard referred to him, was.

Seconds later, the footsteps disappeared and Kai let out a sigh of relief. The blue-haired enigma cautiously opened the door and peered out. There was no sign of the BIOVOLT man. He slipped out of the room and quietly made his way to the end of the corridor. He then got out a map and took a look at it. The map showed what rooms were which and were security cameras were placed. It wouldn't be long before they were spotted, but Kai vowed to make it as far as he could before they were.

"Kai?" Kai turned and saw Tala looking at him questionably. "What are we going to do now? Where do we go from now?"

Kai gave his best friend a reassuring smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We're going to go through that door over there," he pointed to a door across the hall. "Then we're going to take down Boris, avenge Bryan and save the fucking day." He smiled again and it reached his eyes as Tala smiled as well.

"Damn right we will!"

Kai noted that they were all in high spirits as he opened the door to the main training room. He could hear shouting coming from inside and frowned as he realised it was in shock and despair.

_What the hell is going on in there?_

A single scream of pain ricocheted around the room and through the wall. Kai winced at the intensity of the pain-filled scream and shared a look with his friends behind him. They needed to hurry or else someone would get badly hurt.

"Zeus! Attack!" As Brooklyn's voice rung out, Kai felt his crimson orbs widen in surprise. He hadn't seen or heard from the former BEGA blader since he had defeated him; which wasn't that hard to do, since he had been hurt badly, crashed and isolated and then stuck in hospital for a while. It still sent shivers down his spine when he heard Brooklyn's voice and he knew that it wasn't a good thing. He was there to do a job and Brooklyn wasn't going to help him achieve it at all.

Kai hesitated as he put a hand on the handle that would lead them into the room with the captured bladers, Brooklyn, BIOVOLT men and most probably, Boris. It was a nightmare come true for all of them and Kai really didn't want to go through with it, but the bladers would probably die if he didn't.

"Come on. We have to do this." He was thinking about Bryan and how his death had been for nothing. Well, he was going to make it so Bryan didn't die in vain. He wasn't doing this for the fame and glory – he hated that – but in memory of his dead friend who was constantly on his mind. "Bryan's waiting, guys. Let's go."

"Kai?"

Kai turned and locked eyes with Tala. The red head was looking uncertainly at the door. "If you don't want to do this, we all understand. Some of us may not make it out alive…" The words were whispered, quiet enough for anyone who may be listening not to be able to hear, but loud enough for him, Spencer and Ian to hear.

"Tala…" he whispered back, "I know that some of us may not make it out alive, but we have to try. We have our bitbeasts…"

"We also have each other," piped up Ian. Kai stared at the short Russian blader in shock. Ian wasn't the smartest of people, but sometimes – just sometimes – he really surprised you.

"You're right, Ian."

Swallowing slightly, Kai re-placed his hand on the handle and turned it slightly. The door opened silently and Kai gave a sigh of relief. So far, so good. The scene that met Kai shocked him to the core.

BIOVOLT men were holding guns, pointing them at a group of bladers that were pushed up against a wall. The rest of the captured teens were seated a fair distance away, guns also trained on them. In the middle of the room a battle was raging between Brooklyn and…Miguel.

The blonde-haired Spaniard was losing badly against Brooklyn's dark bitbeast, Zeus. For some reason Miguel wasn't able to call out his bitbeast and as Kai looked closer, he saw the abrasions that littered his body. He wouldn't be able to last much longer. Spinning round to face his friends, Kai clenched his fists.

"We have to stop this battle. Get your blades ready, we're about to intervene."

"But Kai, your injuries-"

"Do you _want_ them to die?" he growled, his eyes flashing dangerously. There was no response and Kai scowled at them. "They're going to need _all_ of us, so I will also be blading."

Not saying anything else, Kai gripped his blue beyblade tighter and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth from Dranzer flow through him.

_Let's do this, Dranz._

_:Yes, Master:_

Kai stepped out into the brightly lit room and gave one of his trademark smirks as a gasp resounded around the room. The two teens engaged in the intense battle even stopped to see what the big commotion was.

"KAI!"

Ignoring the screams of glee that reached his ears, Kai strode over to where Miguel was battling Brooklyn. He pulled out his launcher and blade and launched Dranzer into the dish. Tala, Ian and Spencer followed.

"Go Dranzer!"

"Wolborg!"

"Wyborg!"

"Seaborg!"

"_Falborg!" _Kai heard the mental shout in his head and smiled sadly. It didn't sound right without Bryan with them, but he was the reason Boris was going down and was going down this very instant.

"What the hell is going on here?" demanded a cold, harsh voice. Kai knew the voice and smirked as Boris strode into the room. The angry look on the Russian's face disappeared and was replaced with an intense fury as he spotted Kai and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys.

"Happy to see us, Boris?"

"Guards!"

Suddenly, Kai ordered Dranzer back into his hand and spun slowly on his heel to face the man that made his life a living hell – along with his grandfather. Even though his grandfather was an evil, sadistic bastard, he didn't come close to Boris. At least his grandfather had enough humanity not to do the punishments, which equalled torture, constant training and endless, sleepless nights. Compared to Boris, his grandfather was somewhat of a saint.

The entire room went silent as he and Boris stared each other down. Kai's crimson eyes were burning with Dranzer's flame and Boris' were as cold as the snake he was. The room seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature and Kai noted that the battle between Brooklyn and Miguel had stopped completely, Brooklyn's bitbeast hovering above them. Slowly, Kai reached into his back pocket and pulled out something sleek and silver. He raised the object in front of his body and pointed it at the man who ruined his and many others' lives.

"Kai!" gasped Tala. Kai ignored his best friend and kept his eyes trained on Boris. "Kai, this wasn't in the plan? Where the hell did you get that? KAI?"

Kai still ignored the red-haired Russian teen beside him. Instead, he started talking to Boris.

"I hate you, you know that? You made my life a living Hell, but you never cared. It was all about you. I was supposed to protect you; Grandfather didn't want his special 'second-in-command' getting hurt. If any rebellious blader at the Abbey went after you, I was supposed to put your life before mine. I grew up being called 'slave,' 'boy,' 'Grandson,' or 'traitor.' I was never called 'Kai' apart from my friends, one of which, _you_ killed!"

"I always wanted to escape that place – the Abbey – but you even had that plan sorted out. You said that if I escaped, Tala, Ian, Spencer and Bryan would never leave the place alive. You blackmailed me! I was just a kid! They were and still are my best friends, I love them like brothers and you used them as blackmail! I wish you would rot in Hell, Boris."

Kai lifted his other hand and pulled back the safety lock on the sleek, silver gun that was in his grasp. He didn't care that there were possibly all of the BIOVOLT guards surrounding him and his friends. All he wanted was for Boris to suffer.

_The child without a name grew up to be the hand_

_  
To watch you, to shield you, or kill on demand_

_  
The choice he'd made he could not comprehend_

His blood a grim secret they had to command

His hand was steady as he gazed at Boris, his finger not loosening on the trigger. All he had to do was pull the trigger and his nightmare would be over.

_So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed_

_  
Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind?_

_  
So many years have past, who are the noble and the wise?_

_  
Will all our sins be justified?_

_  
_"I'm sick of playing your game, Boris. It's time to end this."

_The curse of his powers tormented his life_

_  
Obeying the crown was a sinister crime_

_  
His soul was tortured by love and by pain_

He surely would flee but the oath made him stay

"I made a promise to Bryan and I'm not about to break it, so say goodbye, Boris." As he had been speaking, Kai hadn't noticed the multiple guns that the BIOVOLT soldiers possessed click as they were trained on him from all directions. He was so focused on Boris that he didn't hear the pleas and shouts from his friends and the captured bladers begging him not to do it.

"Time for you to die. Have fun in Hell."

…BANG.

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**The end! I know, I'm evil…**

**Please tell me what you thought of it, I'd love to hear from you! Please review!**

**I'll try to have the next chapter up ASAP, but I can't promise anything because marching has started up again and I'll be pretty busy. **

**Till then **

_**DancerInTheDark101**_

**P.S – The song lyrics are from a song called Hand Of Sorrow by Within Temptation. **


	12. Death and Rebirth

**Here is the chapter you've all been waiting for! Thanks you so much to all of you who reviewed last chapter, you helped me get 12 –12!- reviews! My highest so far!**

**I can't believe that after only 11 chapters and 50, 000 words I have over 100 reviews! Not to mention over 3, 100 hits! Thanks so much to all of you who have read and/or reviewed! This chapter is for you!**

**I also went through all my chapters and I swear there weren't that many mistakes when I wrote them! I have _no idea _what happened to the last chapter either...there were parts missing and stuff like that, bizzare! So sorry for all my spelling/gramatical/stupid errors and mistakes! **

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A special thanks to… 

kavbj - once again, my first reviewer! Thanks for the review! Mwha ha ha! I'm eeevvviiiilllll...lol. Hope you enjoy chapter 12.

xXUrbanRegalityXx - thanks for the review! Will Kai do it? Will he not? You'll find out in this chapter! Hope you enjoy.

FlyingShadow666 - thanks for reviewing! You make some very valid points there..._would_ Kai be sent to jail for killing Boris? You'll have to wait and see. I'm really sorry about the pairing! But I have written a oneshot with the Kai/Miguel pairing if you wanna read it. Oh and Kai may be hurt, he may not, he may _get_ hurt...enjoy...I hope!

XSilentX-XShadowsX - thanks SO much for the reivew! You made me realise that there would be people reading this fic, but not reviewing! Thank you! I'm so glad that you like it so much that you thought that you woud lreview when you normally don't. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

XxSweet MitsukaixX - wow, your comments make me blush Thanks for reviewing and for all the ideas! For some odd reason, it took me forever to try and think of what the BANG was...Hopefully this update isn't too slow...I hope you enjoy!

Destiny Quill - thanks for the review! I'm not exactly sure how to interpret the review...but hey, a review is a review, especially one from you! (omg, I just ryhmed...) Hope you enjoy.

Nameless Little Girl - yay! You loved it! Hopefully you love this chapter just as much...I hope! Thanks for the review.

Keight Ylonen - ahhh, another Lauri fan! I hope those pictures were able to open...hopefully this update wasn't toooo slow, but it is here now! Hoep you enjoy and thanks for reviewing!

UNpReDiCtAbLE lIfE - really, you thought I wrote the song? I could never write a song that well! lol. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

n-zelda-n - thanks for the review! I'm not sure if the chapter was shorter, but hopfeully this chapter is longer! Ahhh, yeas, Kai with a gun. Will he kill him, will he not? Read to find out! Hope you enoy.

d1bontemp - wow, lol. Thanks for reviewing! Were you speechless?? hehe. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Elemental Gypsy - I agree with you, Kai IS sexy with a gun. -drools- Thanks for reviewing! Oh and by the way, I think you will be happy about Miguel in this chapter, and thanks for helping me with my oneshot! Ahhhh...yes, the dreaded cliffhanger...hopefully this chapter isn't as bad as the last...yes, there is a kind of cliffhanger...I think...Hope you enjoy!

**Wow, a lot of review responses...to all of those who reviewed...THANKS!**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**_DancerInTheDark101_ **

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**Chapter 12: Death and Rebirth**

…BANG.

He gasped as the pain ripped through every nerve in his body. His eyes widened in surprise as the bullet entered just above his heart, in his left shoulder blade. Screaming in pain, he fell as his strength was drained.

Time seemed to slow as he fell, his hair whipping wildly around his face, obscuring his vision. His eyes darted to where the captured bladers were standing, shock marring their features. Grimacing as his body hit the ground, he tried to get in as much air as he could. His mind was starting to go numb from the shock and pain.

Blood started to pool around his still body, creating a crimson stain on the floor. A few drops of blood trickled from between pursed lips and his breath wheezed as his lungs started to give out. Blinking, he tried to get his vision to work, but black dots had started to dance across his vision. It wasn't going to be long before he lost consciousness.

He bit his bottom lip as another wave of pain wracked his battered body. His hands clenched into fists as he tried to fight off the pain threatening to consume him, but to no avail. It was becoming too much to handle and for once in his life, he just wished that unconsciousness would greet him sooner rather than later.

Time seemed to stop completely as a lone figure swept into his vision. He stared at the spectral form of his friend who had been taken so suddenly only a few days before. Bryan was smiling at him, his lilac eyes shining with something he hadn't seen in a very long time – innocence.

"Wha…what are you doing here, Bry?" he whispered, a few drops of blood dropping from his mouth as he spoke. The lilac haired teen/spectral form – he couldn't bring himself to say ghost. It was too finalising – shook his head and stared down at him, grief plastered on his features.

_What the hell?_

"Bry? What…What's going on? Bryan?" he wheezed. He grimaced as the pain magnified and clutched his shoulder, trying in any way to stop the pain.

There was still no answer from Bryan's spectral form, but a medium-sized bird flew in and landed on his shoulder. The bird was also some kind of spectral form. It looked painfully familiar to a certain bitbeast that had belonged to Bryan.

"Falborg?"

The miniature flacon cocked his head to the side and he almost laughed at his antics. Falborg looked nothing like the fierce-looking flacon he had once been, proud in all his glory at the fact he was one of the most feared bitbeasts in the world.

"_It's going to be okay, you know that right?"_

Bryan's spectral form spoke in hushed tones, as though that there were people around that could hear him. As far as he was aware, time had completely stopped, so no one could hear them anyway. He turned his head slightly, as much as his battered body would allow, and stared at the frozen figures of the bladers he was supposed to be rescuing. He just hoped that after this was all over, they would still be able to get out and Boris would be able to rot in jail for the rest of his life.

"_Please, pay attention. You have to listen to me."_

He turned his attention back to spectral Bryan and nodded, wincing as he did so. He strength was beginning to wane and he knew that he didn't have long before it was gone completely.

"_Boris isn't the only person you have to watch out for. There are others. Voltaire is one. Another is a woman named Iris…She is dangerous. You have to watch out for her, no matter what."_

Confusion raced through him at the words that his friend was speaking. He wasn't getting out of here. He was going to die and there was nothing his dead friend would be able to do to stop it.

"What…are you talking…about Bry?" he struggled to say. His eyes were starting to close against his will and he fought to keep them open, even if it was for only a short amount of time. "Why are you here? Is it because…I'm about to die and I need…comforting or something like that?"

"_No. That's not it," _came Bryan's stern voice, _"you _are_ going to make it out of here, alive, okay! Don't think anything otherwise. You have friends who are willing to help you through this; don't forget that. Not to mention your bitbeast…"_

With that, the spectral form of Bryan started to disappear, along with the miniature Falborg that resided on his shoulder. As Bryan disappeared into the shadows that seemed to line the walls, he saw his friend smile one last time. It was a sad, but comforting smile and he also smiled before his eyes dropped closed. Comforting warmth spread through him for a few seconds and then it was all washed away as the wretched waves of pain made themselves known again.

He groaned as his eyes opened again, albeit almost against his will. Time had started again and he saw many people crowded around him, fear etched onto their faces. Blonde hair, pink hair, blue hair…that was all he saw. He was too groggy and uncoordinated to see anything but the bright splashes of hair colour.

_Man, people really need to discover the colour black…it hurts your eyes less._

"Oh my God! He's awake!"

He groaned again as his vision started to clear up. He blinked as shapes started to form into recognisable people and he winced as someone placed a cold _something_ on his wounded shoulder. At least the pain confirmed that he was in fact not dead; a fact that he greeted with a lot of pleasure.

"Wha…?" he started, but stopped as his voice cracked, his throat was too sore to talk.

"You're going to be okay, just keep still," came the soothing words from a female he didn't quite recognise. The said female had annoying pink hair and her voice was any better.

_Oh God, please save me from this horror!_

"Bryan…" he whispered as loud as his voice would allow. That one word caught everyone's attention and he felt their gazes resting on his prone form.

"God damn it, fool! Let me go!" Straining his eyes, he heard someone shouting at another person, who was obviously holding him still. There was a sound of someone's fist hitting flesh and he winced. An unexpected pain shot through him again and he gasped. One hand reached up and grabbed his shoulder in a last attempt to stop the pain.

_Shit…it hurts…_

"KAI!" someone yelled and he turned his head ever so slightly to see a blurry figure making his way over to him. A few moments later, the said figure was kneeling next to him, a hand placed on his forehead feeling his temperature.

A shock of blue hair greeted his vision and he smiled weakly. Kai hadn't been hurt, thank God. He gripped Kai's hand as his sight blurred dangerously and he started to drift off into the land of unconsciousness. Before, he had wanted to greet the world of blissful darkness with open arms, but now that the time was here, he didn't want to leave.

"Kai…Don't leave me alone…" he whispered before finally succumbing to the darkness that had been pulling him ever since that shot had been fired. He hadn't even had the time to warn Kai about his grandfather and the mysterious woman named Iris. He didn't even get to tell him of Bryan's visit. He was sure that Bryan wasn't going to be visiting again; he was finally off to a place where pain and suffering was a myth, where nothing could ever hurt him again.

"You're going to be fine, just hang on a bit longer, Tala…" With that, the world shifted from dazzling colours to the blissful blackness that enveloped him and all pain disappeared.

_**

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**_

_flashback_

_Kai watched in horror as Boris shifted the guns sights off him and onto his unsuspecting best friend. _

…_BANG._

_The gun fired and Kai saw Tala gasp as the bullet shot through his shoulder and out the other side. Blood started to flow from the wound and down his shirt, staining it an instant red. Kai felt sick and turned his gaze on the man he hated most in the world; the man who had murdered his friend in cold blood and had just shot his best friend. _

"_Why the hell didn't you just fucking shoot me, you sadistic prick?" he shouted, enraged. Boris was going to pay, dearly. The said man's eyes widened and Kai smirked. The old man had something to afraid about…him. _

"_Are you ready to pay for everything you have ever done, Boris?" His eyes were blazing with Dranzer's fire and Kai knew that it would have looked freaky. Glaring at the man standing before him, he ignored all of the BIOVOLT soldier's guns and stalked over to where Boris was standing. He grabbed Boris by the arm and twisted it behind his back. _

"_You need to die!" He gripped his gun in his hand and aimed at Boris' head. The second-in-command's breathing became shallow and uneven. "What? Are you afraid, Boris? Do you like the feeling? It's what I've been feeling ever since I arrived at the Abbey!"_

_Keeping the gun trained on Boris' head, Kai turned to see what was happening with Tala. As soon as his sights reached his fallen friend, Kai felt a huge wave of guilt run through him. He had been so angry with Boris for shooting Tala that he had completely forgotten the fact that Tala had been shot. _

_Growling, Kai suddenly realised that there were a _lot_ of guns trained on him. His eyes darted left and right, trying to figure out how many there were, but he lost count more than once. "If you shoot me," he shouted out. "Then Boris here dies too!"_

_The tactic didn't work. He knew it wouldn't have worked the minute it formed in his head. BIOVOLT soldiers were known for their take-no-prisoners-let's-leave-them-all-dead attitude, not to mention the fact that they didn't care about _anything_ except for themselves. _

"_KAI!"_

_Kai's head shot around as Miguel yelled at him. He saw Tala's ice blue eyes open. They were glazed and unfocused, but open none the less. He sighed in relief and yanked Boris off to the side of the room, completely aware of the guns trained on him. _

"_God damn it, fool! Let me go!"_

_Kai ignored Boris' protests and punched the man in the side of the face, knocking him out instantly. Then he wondered why his body hadn't been riddled with bullets yet. He twisted around and saw a majestic firebird hovering above him, her talons out and eyes flaming with the intent to hurt someone if they dared touch him. Kai smirked and nodded his head in gratitude towards Dranzer. _

_Running, he reached the small group crowded around Tala a few moments later. The redhead was lying in a puddle of his own blood and Kai's voice hitched at the sight. The sight brought back memories of the scene of Bryan's death. Something he really did not want to relive. Losing Bryan was bad enough, he wasn't about to lose Tala either. _

"_Kai…Don't leave me alone…" whispered Tala and Kai grasped Tala's pale hand in his own. He didn't see the look of jealousy that passed over Miguel's face as he did so._

"_You're going to be fine, just hang on a bit longer, Tala…" As soon as the words had left his mouth, the redhead slumped, his body going limp. Ice blue eyes closed and he succumbed to unconsciousness_

_end flashback_

Holding Tala's limp hand, Kai closed his eyes and hoped like hell that his words would come true. He looked over to where Spencer and Ian were standing and saw the shock and horror on their faces. He didn't think that they would be able to handle another death of a close friend either.

"Spencer…Ian…"

They both smiled sadly at him. Kai realised that the only time any of them really smiled was when they were sad and or scared. They would never admit to being scared, but being sad happened far too much for his liking.

"Tala's going to be alright…he's a fighter."

Kai saw Spencer do a double take and his eyes narrowed in wonder. What was going through the blonde Russian's head?

"Bryan said the exact same thing about you…"

Kai's crimson eyes opened in surprise. Bryan had said that about him? He was about to ask when Bryan had said that, but Spencer beat him to it.

"He said it when you had just been found and Tala had just awoken from the coma. He said that you were a fighter and that you were okay."

A sharp pain radiated from his stomach and Kai winced. He still hadn't healed properly from the helicopter crash and the debris wound on his stomach didn't like the physical activity he had been doing. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw a familiar blonde-haired blader smiling at him, his eyes betraying his concern.

"Miguel?" he asked. "What-"

"Are you okay, Kai? Shouldn't you be in hospital? You look hurt."

Kai felt all eyes drift towards him and felt like hitting the Spanish blader. He didn't need everyone knowing that he was still hurt and should be in the hospital. He wanted to lash out at something, and it obviously showed on his face as everyone backed away and their eyes averted to something else.

Sighing in relief, the slate-haired Russian let go of his best friend's hand and stood up. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a very familiar blue object. He turned to face Brooklyn and his dark bitbeast. "I guess we better finish what we started then. Shall we Brooklyn?"

The former BEGA blader nodded at his request, his eyes shinning with dark power and a thirst for a win. "Let's go then, Kai. However, I warn you that I have gotten stronger and no doubt you have gotten weaker.

"Whatever, Brooklyn. Let's go!"

"Kai…" came the warning from Spencer behind him. He turned and gave Spencer a reassuring, small smile.

"Don't worry, Spence. I'll be fine. I've got Dranzer."

"Three…two…one…let it rip!"

He launched Dranzer to finish the battle that Miguel had started. The Spanish blader was currently being attended to by some of the other captured bladers and Kai blocked out the hisses of pain coming from him. He blocked out everything else apart from Brooklyn, his bitbeast Zeus and Dranzer. His attention on the battle was now one hundred percent.

"Dranzer! Let's do this!" The blue blade obeyed her master's order and started circling the black blade that was spinning on the spot in the middle of the beydish. His blade began to glow a fiery red and he had to shield his eyes to protect them. Dranzer rose from the blue blade in all her glory and Kai smirked. If Brooklyn thought that he had gotten weaker, then he was in for a very big shock.

"Now, Dranzer! Blazing Gigs Tempest!" His faithful bitbeast obliged and flew high above him and Brooklyn. She began to circle in the air, her wings starting to light and entrancing flames spread backwards from her tails and head. Kai watched, pleased from his bitbeast's performance and then yelled out to her. "Dive, now!"

The fiery, red and gold phoenix screeched in return – and almost ear shattering screech – and dove towards her enemy, the spinning black beyblade in the middle of the dish. Just before she hit the black blade, Brooklyn called out to his own bitbeast.

"Zeus, my faithful beast! Rise!" And rise, Zeus did. The magnificent dark bitbeast rose from his blade and hovered above it just as Dranzer slammed into it. Zeus' massive claws caught her and she hissed in pain. A large, deep slash appeared on her chest and a few golden and red fathers floated down to earth.

"Come on, Dranzer! Fight this!" Kai called out. He was clutching his stomach as he said it and saw the look that Dranzer gave him. She was worried about him, but he shrugged the look off and concentrated on helping his bitbeast out of the mess she was in. "Spiral Survivor!"

Suddenly, Dranzer disappeared and Kai sighed in relief, again. He had managed to get her out of imminent danger for the moment, but it didn't mean that the battle was over. It was far from it as Brooklyn ordered his bitbeast to attack.

"Zeus, King Of Darkness attack!" Brooklyn's blade rushed forward to meet Kai's and Kai kept his position. Zeus slammed into Dranzer and a massive shock wave emitted outwards almost knocking Kai off his feet. He grimaced as another cut appeared on his already battered body. But he wasn't about to give up.

"Hold on, Dranz! You can do this!"

_:I know I can, Master. But I am worried about your health. Will _you_ be able to hold on?:_

_Yes, Dranz, I can. Don't worry about me, worry about defeating that evil sonofabitch._

_:Don't worry, Master. I am planning to do just that:_

Kai smirked as his bitbeast severed their mind link. Dranzer was on fire – literally and metaphorically – and Kai had high hopes for her.

_I wonder if we use this new attack…will it work? Please work…_

"Let's do this, Dranzer! Crimson Flames Of Flight!"

Kai could feel the confusion coming off the spectators – captured bladers and BIOVOLT soldiers – in large waves. Kai smirked, they had no idea what was about to happen and it please him greatly that Brooklyn was going to be the first to feel the attack first hand. He was also very glad that the BIOVOLT soldiers would most definitely report the attack back to whom ever they were working for.

Dranzer obliged and a flash of bright light erupted from her body. Flames in the shape of phoenixes shot off in every direction and Kai shielded his eyes from the blinding light. A loud, melodious song filled the air as Dranzer began to glow brighter and brighter. A large ball of stunning red flame appeared above the majestic phoenix and Dranzer screeched, her voice joining with that of the melody. Kai felt the music sooth him a little and his wounds no longer hurt as much. He noticed that a lot of the other bladers in the room started to look more relaxed and smirked. The attack was working.

An agonising scream came from the dark bitbeast, Zeus. The beast had covered his eyes with his giant claws, trying not to let the bright, flaming light attack his dark eyes.

The glowing ball of flame above Dranzer suddenly disappeared in a flash of gold and then Dranzer threw her head up and screamed to the heavens, letting her mighty power loose. A mean of gold, entwined with red shot out from her and through the ceiling of the stadium. A moment later, millions of red feathers that were as sharp as daggers fell from what seemed nowhere. They merged together and formed a great, flaming red shadow phoenix appeared. The shadow phoenix lunged at the dark bitbeast and pierced his body.

Zeus let out an agonising screech and a black ball formed just in front of his mouth. The ball was glowing with lighting bolts that flashed throughout the ball of darkness. A moment later, the ball shot out and headed towards Dranzer. Dranzer evaded the dark ball of energy and shot towards Zeus.

The dark bitbeast was still screeching in pain and Dranzer took this opportunity to use her most deadly attack on the beast.

Kai closed his eyes as he gave most of his remaining strength to Dranzer. He could hear the shouts of encouragement coming from around the room and it gave him the drive to win even more. They were counting on him to win the match; he wasn't going to let them down.

"Dranzer! Death and Rebirth!"

Suddenly, Dranzer screamed as if in horrible pain. A black light shot out from inside her and Kai watched as the formidable and deadly black phoenix emerged from the dark light.

Black Dranzer had arrived.

"Now, Black Dranzer! Death!"

The dark phoenix flew towards the equally dark beast and stared at it with piercing crimson eyes. She then screeched and an arrow of darkness flew from her and into Zeus' heart. The dark beat screamed in agony and bright flames erupted from _within_ the bitbeast. The flames – which were red and tinged with black – continued to consume Zeus from the inside out and Kai winced as he heard the agonising screams coming from Zeus' master. Brooklyn was unhurt, but it didn't mean that the fact that he was losing didn't hurt.

Kai wasn't planning on killing the dark beast, but he wanted Brooklyn to suffer the way he had.

Black Dranzer then rushed towards Zeus and plummeted into him, her darkness overpowering his easily. Flashes of what looked like black lightning surrounded the two dark bitbeasts as they fought to win. Black Dranzer had the upper hand and was easily crushing the dark god bitbeast.

There was a massive explosion and Kai was thrown backwards, his head hitting the ground hard. He groaned as his head started to throb uncontrollably and carefully stood up again. His eyes widened in awe as he saw Black Dranzer tackle Zeus into the ground with an almighty crash. Both bitbeasts didn't move and Kai began to worry. What if Black Dranzer _and_ Dranzer weren't enough to beat Zeus?

"Come on, Black Dranzer!" he yelled. His voice was hoarse, but his plea got through to the dark phoenix and a moment later she lifted her head off the ground and screeched in triumph. The dark god beast, Zeus, had been defeated…or so they all thought.

"Zeus!" screamed Brooklyn. "Dark Energy Wave! Knock that oversized chicken out of the dish!" Black Dranzer screamed at being called a chicken and launched herself at the dark beast again. The two bitbeasts crashed into each other and Kai winced as claws ripped large slashes of skin out of the other.

"Come on, Black Dranzer…" Kai whispered, channelling all of his energy that remained into the dark phoenix and her counterpart; Dranzer.

"Dranzer! Help Black Dranzer out! Rebirth!"

At her master's command, the fiery red phoenix joined her dark counterpart and a huge flash of bright light came from deep within her and slammed into the darker Dranzer. Both phoenixes screamed in pain and Kai along with him. Pain wracked every nerve and muscle of his body as his remaining energy was transferred to Dranzer and then to Black Dranzer. Death and Rebirth was a very dangerous attack; it needed most of the bitbeasts' mater's energy to complete the attack. He had never use it before as it was extremely dangerous to all those involved, including the opposition.

Kai slumped to the ground as the light faded, leaving the two phoenixes looking renewed and healthy. That couldn't be said for Kai, though; he was kneeling on the ground, one hand supporting his weight whilst the other was pressed against his chest. His breathing was laboured and uneven, he was exhausted but he had to hold on. Brooklyn _could not_ win. He would win, whatever the cost.

"Black Dranzer, Dranzer…attack!" Both phoenixes launched themselves forward, their contrasting wings beating in synch. Twin screeches came from the twin phoenixes as they both shot arrows – one of fire, the other of darkness – at Zeus, which pierced his body and entered his heart. Once again, pain-filled bellowing came from the dark god beast and a few seconds later, Zeus slumped to the ground, unable to move. Below him, Brooklyn's blade began to slow and eventually stopped as Zeus disappeared back into the bitchip.

Kai smiled weakly up at his faithful bitbeasts. Dranzer and Black Dranzer flew down to him and he stroked their feathered heads, congratulating them on a well-fought battle. A sudden rush of fatigue hit him and Kai felt the hand supporting his kneeling weight collapse beneath him and he would have hit the ground, had it not been for Dranzer. The firebird caught him and Kai leant into her warm body, relishing from the warmth that flowed through his body at the touch. He looked up at Black Dranzer and smiled at her.

He knew that she felt bad about not being able to help him recover in any way, as she was a phoenix of darkness, not fire or light.

_Do not worry, Black Dranzer, _he spoke to her via mind link. His voice was weak and hoarse; he only had enough strength to whisper. _You have helped in more than one way, by returning to me when I needed you the most. Thank you…my friend. _

The dark phoenix bowed her head at him before returning to his blade in a flash of dark light. Kai sighed as his strength failed to return. He knew it would be quite a while before his strength returned fully. Luckily, he had Dranzer to help him.

"KAI!"

Kai looked over to see a very angry Brooklyn storming over to him. He got Dranzer to help him stand and stared at the angry former BEGA blader.

"The next time we battle, you _will not_ win!" The words 'will not' were emphasised greatly and Kai had to hold in a smirk, knowing that it would not do him any good. Riling up Brooklyn wasn't exactly a good thing to do just after beating him.

_:come, Master. You must rest and we must get the rest of these bladers out of here:_

Kai nodded in agreement, but couldn't help his eyes from closing ever so slightly. His crimson orbs had dulled significantly as his strength had waned and he knew that Dranzer had seen it. She was worried about him. Shit, he was worried about himself too. The attack had taken more out of him than he had anticipated and he was paying dearly for it.

"Kai!"

Turning his head very slowly, Kai saw Miguel, Lee, Michael, Ian and Spencer running over to him. Their faces were masks of worry and Kai rolled his eyes. They would never change.

"Kai!" panted Spencer, his eyes shining with concern for his blue-haired friend. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Spence." Even as he said it, Kai knew that it wasn't true. He was in a terrible state. He and everyone else knew it. "All I need is some rest." At least that part was true.

Suddenly a thought popped into his head. "How's Tala?"

"He's still unconscious," came the reply from Miguel. "The wound has stopped bleeding, but he hasn't woken up yet."

Kai nodded in thanks and closed his eyes as Dranzer set him down on the ground. He stared about himself and saw that all of the BIOVOLT soldiers were staring at him, wide-eyed. Garland was also staring, his mouth dropped open slightly. Obviously they couldn't believe what had just happened, Kai couldn't quite believe it either. But his reasons were completely different to theirs. He seriously didn't think that Black Dranzer would have returned to him when he had ordered Dranzer to use Death and Rebirth. It was a big shock when she had; a very _pleasant_ shock.

"Wow, Kai, that attack was awesome!"

Kai smirked as everyone started to talk at once about the new attack he had revealed. Kai only half listened to what they were saying; his eyes were surveying the room and its surroundings. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. As his eyes swept the room, that missing thing hit him like a train.

Boris!

"Where's Boris?" he asked urgently. Everyone stared at him, confused, but then realisation dawned on them. The second-in-command of BIOVOLT Corporation had disappeared from his place in the corner of the room. The last time anyone had seen him was when Kai had hit him over the head and he had been knocked out.

"Ahh…we don't know," someone finally said. Kai hung his head in defeat. Boris had gotten away, but the BIOVOLT soldiers were still around. What did that mean? Was Boris planning on killing them all by blowing up the place or something? He wouldn't put it past the man.

"We have to get out of here, before something bad happens," he said, his voice retaining come of that drive that he was famous for. He got Dranzer to help lever himself into a standing position and then wrapped an arm around Spencer's shoulders.

"Dranzer, go back into your blade. You're weak and need to recharge. I'll call if I need you for anything."

The fire phoenix protested at first, but when she almost fell from fatigue then she reluctantly agreed and returned to the blue blade that resided in his hand. Kai pocketed the object and stared around him at the bladers that were captive in the room.

"Miguel and Michael, I need you two to carry out Tala. Lee, I need you to take care of the rest of the bladers and get them in order, okay?"

All three of them agreed and Kai turned to Spencer last. "I need you to help me get out and then help the rest of them get out, okay? Do you remember the way we came in?" Spencer nodded. "Good. Now let's go, before Boris comes back, or worse."

As they all made their way to the door, Kai leaning heavily on Spencer, they heard the click of more than a few guns. Kai sighed. The BIOVOLT men obviously weren't going to let them go without a fight. They had guns whilst all they had were beyblades and bitbeasts, which were more than enough to beat the armed BIOVOLT men.

"I need all of you to get out your beyblades!" Kai called to all of them. "You're going to have to fight your way out, so be prepared!"

Nodding came from all around and Kai told Spencer to let him go. Kai swayed as his support was taken away and he leant against the wall instead. All of the bladers faced off against the BIOVOLT soldiers, their beyblades in their launchers.

"Get ready…let it rip!" shouted Spencer. Just as their beyblades were launched, a huge _something_ rocked the stadium. Kai swayed again and almost fell, but Spencer caught him just in time. The stadium rocked again and Kai turned to Spencer.

"Forget fighting them! We _need_ to get out of here!"

Spencer nodded and called to the rest of them to grab who ever they were looking after and run. Kai stumbled as he ran, his energy still very much gone. His vision began to blur as they reached the door that lead into the corridor to the outside wall and he had to blink rapidly to keep his vision focused.

Kai grabbed the door handle and turned and pushed the door. Nothing happened and Kai's eyes widened. Boris had trapped them in the training room with the BIOVOLT soldiers. "We're going to have to kick the door down," he whispered to Spencer. Spencer nodded and let him lean against the wall before launching himself at the door. The door cracked a little, but didn't budge.

Kai watched as Spencer got out his beyblade and finally the door was knocked down. Kai felt his breath hitch as he struggled to inhale precious air. He latched onto Spencer and wouldn't let go. His vision finally gave out and Kai felt the world tip sideways. Strong arms caught him before he was able to slip to the floor and Kai mentally thanked the person who had done so.

Another _something_ rocked the stadium and Kai heard people shout in alarm. He heard debris start to fall and wondered if they were ever going to make it out of the hellhole that had been made for them. He wondered how Tala was handling everything and if he was even awake. He hoped that his best friend would make it and be able to get to a hospital so that eh could be fixed up.

But as he had found out first hand, wishes and hopes don't always come true. Sometimes fate decides to be a mean prick and let the ones you love die or be injured.

"Spencer…" he whispered.

"Yeah, Kai?" came the whisper back although it was more like a quiet shout as the stadium rocked again.

"I can't see, Spence. I don't think I'm going to make it…"

"You _are_ going to make it, Kai!" shouted Spencer and Kai smiled sadly. "Don't even _start_ thinking that way! You hear me!"

Kai smiled, which turned into a hacking cough. He had no strength to carry on with. His legs buckled under his weight and he felt Spencer's arms tense with his added weight on them. As the stadium rocked one last time, Kai felt himself blacking out. He sent one last plea out to his bitbeasts before his world went dark.

_Please help them get out alive. Forget about me, just get them out…please…_

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**Wheph! What a long chapter! I hope you all liked…I wrote it on my day off school, sick. Lol. **

**Please review! I can't be certain when the next chapter will be up as I am going away for a week on holiday, but if I don't update before then, I will do so after I come back!**

**Thanks for supporting me in this fic!**

**Till next time **

_**DancerInTheDark101**_


	13. Pain Filled Days

**Hay there! I thought I would be kind and write another chapter for you all to read before I went away for a week! Hopefully you all like it, but just as a warning, I was getting pretty tired after writing for five hours straight, so I don't think the last part of the chapter is as good as it could have been. **

**Wow, longest chapter to date! Over 6000 words!**

**Whoops, I better do a disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or the lyrics mentioned in this chapter by Simple Plan.**

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A special thanks to… 

kavbj - thanks for reviewing! Heh, about Tala...I hope you don't hurt me in any way...you'll just have to read and find out! I hope you enjoy!

FlyingShadow666 - heart attack? You're okay? lol. I'm glad that you liked the chapter so much! thanks for revewing! You'll have to read and find out about Tala though...Yeah, the idea for Black Dranzer just popped out of nowhere I eill have fun on my holdiay, but i'll miss all you guys! -tear- Hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh and thanks for reading my oneshot! I have started typing it and it should be up after I come back.

n-zelda-n - it was awesome? YAY! Hehe, I think everyone kinda thought that Kai hd been shot in the beginning, but I made it so you couldn't tell! lol. Boris...he's not in this chapter, bit definitely in the next one! Thanks for revewing, I hope you enjoy the chapter! If I could draw, I would SOOO draw a pic of Kai holding a gun! Maybe I'll get one of my mates to draw me one...hmmmm...

Cailany - thanks for reviewing! I may kill them, I may not...read to find out! Glad you liked and I hope you enjoy this chap!

d1bontemp - thanks for the review! Thanks, I was wondering what I could write next and then Black Dranzer popped into my head and then the attack came next! Glad you liked and I hope you like this chapter!

kailover2006 - thanks for revewing! I have updated! lol. Hope you enjoy!

XxSweet MitsukaixX - yes, I feel better now, thanks! You have exams, but you still made time to read my fic? I feel flattered! Hehe, I was trying to think of something not totally cliche for the starting as I had completely hit a brick wall after writing BANG, but I solved the problem! Thanks for reviewing! I wish you well in your exams! Hoep you enjoy.

Destiny Quill - thanks for the extremely long review! You don't actually review that late, though. There are some who don't review for days! Thanks again! Uplifting material? -blushes- You wrote so many nice comments! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm glad that you liked the attack! It just came out of nowhere...-sweatdrops- I am hoping that this chapter focuses more on Kai, but I decided to get a few other people's views in as well, just for a bit of a change. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

UNpReDiCtAbLE lIfE - thanks for reviewing! I'm cool? I'm COOL! -does happy dance around living room- I'm soo glad that you think my skills are improving! Hoep you enjoy this chapter!

Elemental Gypsy - thanks for the review! Ahh, yes the good ol' Death and Rebirth attack. I'm really surprised at how many people actually liked it! I thought it was a bit tacky at first...lol. About Miguel...please don't hurt me! But, please, read this chapter before doing any harm! lol. Hope you enjoy???

Nameless Little Girl - I'm glad you loved it! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Keight Ylonen(via email) - thanks for revewing! so many emotions for one chapter? Is that good or bad, lol. Thanks for all the pix by the way! so cute!!! You'll just have to read to find out whether I take away your precious Tala and Kai! -mwha ha ha ha ha!- Hope you enjoy! P.S - I'll email you back as well.

**Wow, 12 reviews again! You guys ROCK!**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 13: Pain Filled Days**

Tyson stared at the white object residing in the middle of his palm. He had been staring at his faithful companion for the past ten minutes, praying that Kai and Tala would be okay. They had disappeared from the hospital, along with Spencer and Ian. No one knew where they were, but hospital security men had checked the camera footage and had spotted the four Russian teens rushing through the hospital halls.

There was a flash of warmth and Tyson sighed, putting Dragoon back in the pocket where he kept the dragon at all times. His eyes wandered over to where Rei, Max and Kenny were sitting, their eyes downcast. Even Max – whom was normally on a sugar high – was looking depressed at the disappearance of their captain.

Sighing, the Japanese teen walked over to where the rest of his team were seated. He sat down beside his best friend and looked at him. Max's normally sparkling blue eyes had taken on a dull hue. Tyson didn't like it one bit and a plan suddenly formed in his brain. One of his arms swiftly snaked its way around the American blader and Tyson started to tickle the blonde boy.

Max laughed abruptly and started to fight back and Tyson tickled harder. He saw Rei and Kenny look over at them, confusion written all over their faces and Tyson grinned his trademark, cheesy grin. Max's eyes were shining again as laughter gripped him as another bout of tickling came along courtesy of Tyson.

"Ty…son!" Max gasped in between laughs. "St…stop!" Those words seemed to wash straight over Tyson and he continued to tickle his friend.

"Tyson!" Tyson let go of Max and leant back, satisfied. His job had been done as Rei and Kenny were laughing at the blonde who was still trying to catch his breath. Tears of laughter rolled down his cheeks and Tyson grinned again. He was extremely happy to see his friends smiling again.

"What was that for, Ty?" asked Rei, his amber eyes glowing with amusement.

The navy-haired blader looked at the Nekojin, his deep cerulean eyes wide with happiness, but underneath the happiness was a layer of grief that only Tyson knew was there. "You guys all looked really sad, so I decided to make you feel happier again!" he exclaimed, a smile on his face.

Rei smiled along with him. "Yeah, you're right, Tyson. Kai's gonna be fine, he's strong and Tala's with him."

There were nods from Max and Kenny and Tyson grinned. Just as he was about to speak again, a doctor walked into the room they were waiting in. Tyson looked at the female doctor and frowned at the look on her face. It was not a happy expression. In fact, it was quite grim and all the positive thoughts that had been racing through his mind only moments before disappeared in a flash of doubt.

"Are you all here for Kai Hiwatari and Tala Ivanov?" The doctor's voice was smooth and calm, clipped with a bit of arrogance and distaste.

Tyson nodded. "Please, come this way. Their doctor would like to speak to you all about their conditions."

Once again, Tyson nodded and stood up his hand going straight to his Dragoon on reflex. Something wasn't quite right; he just couldn't put his finger on it. Giving the others a look, he followed the young doctor to a door with a golden plaque that read _'Dr. Marshall Leory.' _

Tyson followed the doctor into the room and stared about himself. The office was massive, with dark blue, plush carpet and striking burgundy walls. The ceiling was white with a large, expensive looking light fixture. The office was decorated with many doctorate certificates and framed paintings of different settings. The doctor, whom was obviously Dr. Leory, sat behind a large, polished wooden desk in a plush chair. Many stacks of paper were piled neatly on the desk and Tyson blinked a few times, trying to let everything sink in.

Obviously the doctor was a highly regarded doctor, considering the amount of certificates hanging on the walls and the man looked as though he was high respected amongst the other doctors, nurses and other hospital staff.

The said man beckoned for them to sit down and Tyson complied. Rei, Max and Kenny sat next to him on a luxurious couch that they seemed to sink into. Tyson let his mind wander as the comforting feel of the couch sucked him in. In a dream-like state, Tyson didn't hear the doctor speaking and didn't hear when he said his name.

An abrupt nudge shook him out of his dream state and Tyson looked over to see Rei staring at him with a look on his face that said 'are you okay?' Tyson nodded and turned to Dr. Leory. "Sorry," he grinned sheepishly, his hand behind his head. "I kinda wasn't listening…"

Dr. Leory smiled at him, showing off perfect white teeth. "It's alright…Tyson, is it?" Nodding, Tyson let the doctor carry on. "As I was explaining, your friend came in with serious injuries. They had either been inflicted by his battle against BEGA or the helicopter crash. The minor injuries came from his battle, but there were a few more serious injuries sustained in the crash. To make a full recovery, he should have stayed in the hospital and rested, but as you have said that he isn't one to stay in bed for very long, I guess we couldn't have kept him here for more than a few days. Am I correct in this assumption?"

Tyson nodded again, a habit he was starting to dislike very much.

"I am concerned for your friend, and my patient. Kai is severely injured and you say that you have no idea where he, or any of his friends may have gone? He needs immediate medical attention so that his wounds do not worsen and become infected. He has little, if any, energy at all and even small amounts of excursion would tire him. Kai needs to be found and brought back here to be treated."

Tyson looked to Rei and saw the confusion in the Nekojin's amber eyes. A sudden flash of surprise flashed across his face and Tyson opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when Rei beat him to it.

"I know where they are!" he cried out, shooting upwards into a standing position. He turned to the doctor and told him to turn the TV on. The television switched on with a quiet hiss and a moment later, moving pictures could be seen on the large screen.

Tyson looked at his watch and saw that it was midday. The news would be on very soon and he wondered what Rei knew. How could the Chinese blader know where their captain and his missing friends would be?

Gasps echoed throughout the room as the image on the screen cut from the studio to a place that seemed achingly familiar, the BBA training stadium.

His hand flew to his mouth as Tyson saw the damage that the building had sustained. The once-magnificent building was now in almost ruins. Parts of the building had collapsed and now showed the structural beams and rods that held it together. Smoke billowed out from what Tyson could make out as the main training room. Worry immediately made its way to him as he realised that the main training room was supposedly where the captured bladers were being held.

"Oh, God. No…" Tyson felt his mouth drop open at the destruction. What could have caused so much damage in so little time? Were the captured bladers okay?

A news anchor came onto the screen, her face grim. Soot stained some of her face and there were clean trails running down her cheeks from where tears had cleaned the soot off. A feeling of dread washed over the world champion and he slumped back into the comforting couch, which surprisingly, did nothing to sooth the worry racing through him.

"_Only moments before, explosions rocked the BBA training stadium. My sources have not found the reasons for the bouts of severe explosions, but have reported that they originated from a small room off to the side of the main training room. It is also unknown whether the captive bladers made it out or have been trapped under tonnes of rubble and debris. Everyone is praying for their safe return."_

"_It is debatable whether BEGA has anything to do with the sudden collapse of the building or whether it was the infamous BIOVOLT. Although BEGA supposedly disbanded after a humiliating defeat by none other than the captain of the BBA Revolution, Kai Hiwatari, there have been several reports that BEGA is still operational and has been working hard to bring down the BBA."_

"_Tying in with the topic of BEGA, BIOVOLT and the captured bladers, there has been no word from police about the whereabouts of missing BIOVOLT founder, Voltaire Hiwatari. After his mansion was destroyed, he disappeared and his body has not been found. Police have just finished clearing away the debris caused by some form of explosive device, but nothing has been found so far."_

The reporter suddenly gasped as another part of the building collapsed, sending clouds of smoke into the crowd and obscuring the camera's view. Tyson watched on, horrified and Rei's look of absolute terror didn't go unnoticed either.

"_Another part of the BBA training stadium has just collapsed behind me, sending clouds of smoke and dust into the air. Once we get a clearer picture, you will see footage of the damage."_

A few minutes later, the smoke cleared and Tyson hissed through his teeth in shock. The building was a complete mess. Countless walls had crumpled into nothing and the roof was dangerously perched on top of the few remaining walls. The main support beams were still in place, but it wouldn't be long before they went as well and the whole building got reduced to nothing but rubble.

"_Wait! I see something!" _The camera swivelled towards where the reporter was pointing and zoomed in on a small object, covered in dust. It lay under a few pieces of debris and Tyson felt his eyes widen in surprise as he realised what it was.

"_Oh my goodness! It's a person!" _The reporter dropped her microphone and started running over to where the figure was lying. She knelt down beside the figure, despite warning shouts from police, and turned him over. A pale face stared back at the camera, his eyes closed.

"_It looks as though he is one of the captured bladers…" _She then pressed two fingers to the teen's neck and felt for a pulse. Tyson held his breath as she checked and he was sure that no one else in the room was breathing as they waited for a verdict. Agonising moments later, she sighed in relief and smiled grimly.

"_I need paramedics over here, stat!"_

Tyson watched as Rei slumped back into the couch, his energy spent. He had been standing the whole time the broadcast had been on and Tyson didn't know how the Nekojin's legs had held up for so long. Had it been him standing, he would have caved a long time before.

"_Well, there you have it, folks. One of the captured bladers has been found and is now currently en-route to the hospital as I speak. I pray for him and his family in this time of need and for his team, formally known as Barthez Battalion. I wish your captain a safe and speedy recovery."_

Miguel had been found and was on his way to the hospital. Tyson looked over to where Dr. Leory sat. His face was impassive and the world champion blader found himself trying to figure out what the doctor was thinking. Unfortunately, his facial expressions gave away nothing. The he caught the look that had made its way onto Rei's face. The Chinese blader was frozen in what seemed like…fear?

"Rei?" Tyson whispered to his teammate. "What's wrong?" By that time, he had successfully caught everyone's attention and Tyson - along with everyone else's - eyes were on Rei. "Rei"

The Chinese blader wouldn't look at him and Tyson felt the familiar feeling of dread settle in his stomach. What did Rei know that everyone else didn't?

"I…" started Rei. Tyson mentally urged the raven-haired teen on. "I know where Kai is…"

"WHAT!?!" came the response from everyone. Tyson just stared at Rei. The teen was supposed to be his friend.

_Why didn't you tell us earlier? Rei?_

"He went to save the captured bladers…" Tyson didn't understand and by the looks of everyone else, they didn't either. Rei sighed impatiently. "He went to the _BBA training stadium_ to rescue the captured bladers! He's _in_ the building right now!"

Tyson couldn't believe it. His mouth dropped open in horror and the dread that had settled in his stomach decided to make itself known. The result: a sudden urge to throw up. Tyson put his hand over his mouth and raced out the door and towards the nearest bathroom where he proceeded to empty his stomach contents.

After throwing up, Tyson wiped his mouth with a paper towel and stared at his reflection in the mirror. His face was a stark contrast to what it normally was – pale and sickly looking. He couldn't believe what Rei had said. Kai couldn't have been in the building, could he? It was something Tyson desperately didn't want to accept as true. It was too horrible, too _real_ to be true.

Kai was strong and had been through so much to be stuck in the stadium when the explosions had started. Fate wasn't _that_ cruel, was it?

Struggling with emotions, Tyson felt the tears of hopelessness trail down his face. He sniffed, staring at his reflection and handling Dragoon in one hand. Warmth radiated from the white blade, but it didn't do anything to sooth the pain racing through his body. He _needed_ conformation that his captain was okay. He _needed_ to see Kai with his own two eyes.

_Please, Kai. You have to be okay. Please, someone just send me a sign that he's okay…anything…_

_**

* * *

**_

**Moments before:**

Spencer charged down the hallway at a speed he thought he never could achieve. An unconscious Kai lay in his arms, his head resting lightly against his chest. Blasts had erupted from somewhere in the building and all Spencer had been concentrating on was getting everyone out of the building, alive. Panting for breath, Spencer looked about himself, trying to figure out where everyone was. He caught sight of Miguel and Michael struggling to carry an unconscious Tala.

Suddenly Miguel collapsed and Spencer rushed forward. The blonde Spaniard was on his knees, panting. A chunk of the building broke away and Spencer backed up. The place was becoming increasingly unstable and he didn't know how long they had before the place completely collapsed.

A hacking cough sounded and Spencer looked down to see a pair of glazed crimson orbs staring back at him. "Spencer?" came the quiet, almost inaudible voice.

He was about to nod when he realised that Kai had said that he couldn't see and he smiled grimly before answering. "Yeah, Kai. I'm here. How you feeling?"

Kai coughed again and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse and rustic. "Peachy, just peachy…Are we out…yet?"

"No, Kai, we're not. The building's extremely unstable. It's collapsing before our very eyes, Kai. Will you be able to hold up until we get out?" he paused a bit before shouting. "MIGUEL!"

The Spaniard had disappeared suddenly behind a wall of debris that had once been part of the roof. Spencer looked up and saw blue sky, something he never thought he would see again. The sight of the sky gave him renewed hope and drive and Spencer shifted Kai in his arms and ran over to where Michael was holding a limp Tala.

A loud, deadly roar filled the corridor and Spencer looked behind him to see a wave of dark smoke and dust racing towards them. He slammed his eyes shut as the dust swept over them. Coughing, he called out to everyone and was relieved to hear many responses back. Kai weakly called out to him and Spencer shifted his grip on the semi-conscious Russian again.

Kai's lithe frame was wracked by wet sounding coughs and Spencer couldn't help but be alarmed. That sound could only be associated with damaged or punctured lungs. If that was the case with Kai, then he needed medical attention and fast. "Hang on, Kai. We're going to get out of here, you just hang on a little longer." It was plainly obvious that the teen had not recovered from his previous wounds and Spencer felt like hitting him.

Composing himself, Spencer got rid of the anger directed at the Russian blader in his arms. It wasn't Kai's fault that they were in the situation that they were in, but it would have been much better if the said teen had been conscious and well enough to help out with getting out of the collapsing building.

"Spencer!" screamed out someone and Spencer twirled around to see Lee struggling to pull along a terrified Mariah. The pink-haired Nekojin was screaming at the top of her lungs in terror and crying; the tears were making clear trails on her dust covered face.

"I want Rei! Let me go, Lee! REI!"

Growling in frustration, Spencer did the only thing he thought would help. He screamed right back at her.

"SHUT UP!" Everyone stopped to stare at him, not the best thing to do in the current circumstances. "Shut up, would you! The world doesn't revolve around you and Rei, god damn it! There are other people here who want to get out as well, okay!?! Some of them are even seriously injured! So shut your trap and get running!"

Mariah shut up then and Spencer sighed. He hadn't meant to sound so angry or pissed off, but if they didn't hurry, they weren't going to make it out in time. The pink-haired girl stopped screaming and crying and wiped her amber eyes with a dust covered arm. She sniffed, and then hung her head. "Sorry, Spencer," she looked up with watery eyes. "It's just…it's just that I'm so scared!"

Another crash sounded close to them and Spencer ducked instinctively. A few pieces of debris crashed down near them. Spencer yelled at everyone to start running again and run they did. Spencer noticed that there was more and more rubble falling into their escape path and he constantly had to dodge pieces of large rubble on the floor. He had to be careful of the unconscious teen in his arms and it was hard work. Soon, he found himself exhausted and panting for breath.

He hadn't remembered the corridor being very long and it seemed like it was taking _forever_ to get to the door, which lead to the outside world and safety. A sudden thought raced through his panic-filled brain and dread settled deep within his heart.

_Oh God, please tell me we haven't taken a wrong turn somewhere. Please tell me we're about to reach safety…_

"Spencer!" came the terrified call. He turned to see a panic-stricken Ian come running up to him. Blood was trickling from a wound on his head, just above his right eyebrow. Oblivious to the wound, Ian began speaking a mile an hour and Spencer grimaced as a headache began to pound at his temples.

"Ian! Slow down…Now, start again. What is it?"

"We've gone the wrong way! It's a dead end in front of us! We have to turn back and get out another way!"

Spencer _felt_ all colour drain from his face. All his worst nightmares were coming true. They _had_ taken a wrong turn somewhere and because of that, he, Ian, Kai, Tala and the rest of the bladers were in even more danger then before. Not to mention Miguel, whom they hadn't been able to locate after the pieces of debris had fallen down, cutting him off from the rest of them. Spencer just hoped that the blonde-haired teen was alive. They really didn't need another death so close to the first.

"Right!" he yelled, taking charge again, "it's a dead end in front of us! We have to turn back and find another way out. Whatever you do, don't stop! Run!"

Clutching Kai tighter than before, Spencer started running, once again dodging pieces of rock and rubble on the ground. He tumbled as another large explosion rocked the stadium. He winced as Kai's head banged against the wall with a little more than a bit of force. The teen didn't stir as blood began to seep from the wound that opened and Spencer felt Kai's head and found a large, two-inch slash along his hairline.

Cursing, he ripped off a piece of material from his shirt and wrapped it tightly around his friend's head. The boy had more injuries then he really needed and Spencer knew that he wasn't exactly helping the situation; he hadn't been the gentlest with Kai and the Russian teen had probably sustained more than a few injures since Spencer had been carrying him.

"Come on, Spencer!" Keeping a good hold on Kai, Spencer made his way to the others as fast as the obstacles in his path would allow. He was beginning to tire very quickly. Knowing that he was reaching his limit; he was only human after all, he stopped for a quick breather after walking at a fast pace for a while. The others were all still in front of him except for Michael, whom was beside him carrying the equally injured Tala.

Tala had crimson liquid running from his left shoulder. It was starting to dry in places and Spencer saw that Michael's shirt was also stained in the liquid that was Tala's life force. Breathing in deeply, trying to get some much-needed oxygen into his body, Spencer turned to the equally exhausted American blader.

"Hey, would you want to take Kai for a bit? He's pretty bad off, but not nearly as bad as Tala. He's even lighter than Tala, so it'll be easier on you."

Michael seemed shocked at his words and Spencer realised that Michael probably wasn't used to him or any of the supposedly stoic Blitzkrieg Boys talking to him.

"Yeah, sure. Okay." Spencer felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It was good that other people were willing to help him take care of his friends, but that still didn't make him stop worrying about them. Ever since Tala had been shot, he had been worried sick. Bryan's death had affected them all hard and Tala had been the worst. Bryan had been very close to the redhead, almost as close as Tala and Kai were.

Placing Kai gently on the ground, Spencer grabbed Tala from the American's arms and held him close. Tala's breathing was ragged and irregular; it was irregular enough to cause some alarm. Tala needed medical attention and fast.

He saw Michael pick up Kai from the ground. Kai's head flopped against the blader's chest and stayed there. Michael's gaze stopped on him and Spencer saw the shock living in their depths.

"Now, let's go!"

They set off at a pace that suited both of them and soon enough they caught up with the others who were trying to find another way out.

"We're trapped!" screamed someone and Spencer turned to see a hysterical Ian sobbing on the ground; tears leaked from his eyes. "Spence…I don't…wanna die…"

Spencer carefully laid Tala on the ground and told Michael to watch over him. He made his way over to the youngest teen there and sat down beside him. "Come on, Ian. It's going to be okay, we're going to get out of here."

"No we're not!" shouted an adamant Ian. The poor boy was hysterical and Spencer had no idea how to calm him. Everything was happening too fast and it was going downhill with way too much speed. If things didn't start to balance out very soon, they would all crash and burn.

Another rumbling shook the stadium, sending a shockwave of helplessness through every person trapped. It was then that Spencer finally realised that Ian was right; they were trapped and there was no way they were going to be able to get out in time. They would either survive the final explosion when the building collapsed on itself, or they would die, buried under hundreds of tonnes of rubble. With either option, it would take days for anyone to find them and dig them out. They were all goners.

The shaking became worse and Spencer ran back over to where Kai and Tala were lying, dragging Ian along with him. He grabbed Tala's hand with one hand and Ian's with the other. He then signalled for Ian to grab Tala's hand and Kai's

As the building started to cave in on itself, Spencer sat in a small circle-like position with his three best friends. Tears had started to leak from his eyes; even so, it was only a small amount. But they were still tears.

"I'm so sorry, Kai…Tala. Sorry that I wasn't able to get everyone out in time, I'm so sorry…"

There was no movement from the two teens and Spencer hung his head. This was it, the end. Looking up again, he swore he saw a misty figure in the distance. Straining his eyes, he gasped, as he comprehended who the figure was.

"Bryan…" A small, but grim smile lit up the ghostly figure's features. Spencer couldn't believe it. Bryan had returned just as Death was about to claim them all. Surely it was a bad omen to have a ghost visit you just before you were about to die.

"We're about to come visit you, Bry. You wont be alone for much longer. See you soon…"

Then the loudest crashing sound Spencer had ever heard in his life reverberated throughout the stadium. Clutching Tala and Ian's hand, Spencer gazed at his friends. Both Tala and Kai were oblivious to the fact that they were about to die, something he wished dearly for. At least they wouldn't feel the fear that was coursing through his veins or the bone-crushing pain that was to come from being buried alive.

The roaring got louder and Spencer held his breath. Closing his eyes, Spencer heard the roof starting to collapse in on its self and rushing towards the ground, where they were all waiting for death. He couldn't hear any of the others screaming and crying anymore. All he could hear was his own, Ian, Tala and Kai's breathing; something he would remember forever.

For some reason, when the bits of roof came crashing down on them, Spencer didn't feel any pain. His mind blanked out and everything started to feel surreal. A white light surrounded him, which quickly changed to red, and then, finally, to black…

_**

* * *

**_

Rei stared as the stadium that had been standing only moments before collapsed in on its self. A massive cloud of dust rose upwards, covering the surrounding area like a thick blanket that suffocated you. Kai, Tala, Ian, Spencer and all of the captured bladers except for Miguel were trapped inside the building and Rei felt something die within himself as the stadium fell.

_Mariah…no…_

He couldn't believe that the love of his life was dead. The girl he had grown up with and played with his entire childhood was…_gone_. Just like that, her life snuffed away like a flame when it was time to sleep.

_Lee…Gary…Kevin…_

Everyone he had ever cared about was pretty much gone, the top beyblading teams in the world; all just gone in an instant. He knew that the world of beyblading would never be the same again with everyone gone. Sure, the world champion team was still around, but none of their competition was.

_What the hell am I thinking? Your closest friends just died and all you can think bout is how the beyblading world is going to change? What is wrong with you?_

He looked over his shoulder to see Tyson, Max and Kenny staring at the TV screen as if it had just jumped to life and started killing things. Tears had already started to roll down Max's cheeks.

The Majestics were gone…_Robert, Johnny, Oliver, Enrique…_

The former Barthez Battalion apart from their captain…_Mathilda, Aaron, Claude…_

The PPB All Starz, gone…_Michael, Emily, Eddy, Rick…_

The stoic Blitzkrieg Boys…_Tala, Ian, Spencer…_

White Tiger X…_Mariah, Lee, Gary, Kevin…_

And of course, who could forget their favourite captain…_KAI…_

It was too much. All of them…just…gone…

Rei slumped to the ground. He wrapped his arms around himself in a way to warm his body. He knew that it wouldn't help at all, but the cold darkness that was seeping into his heart wouldn't leave. He realised it probably never would.

All he could hear was sobbing and crying. He screwed his eyes shut to fight the pain assaulting his body, not caring if he looked like a mess. Then he realised that they were in Dr. Leory's office. Rei looked up at the doctor and confusion started to make its way into his feelings, almost over riding some of the pain. The doctor didn't look sad or shocked at all at the death of so many young people in one go. In fact, he kind of looked…_happy_…about it.

_What the hell?_

Suddenly, Rei felt his cell phone start to vibrate in his pocket. Stifling back sobs, he dug around in his pocket and pulled out the sleek, white phone. Flipping it open, he stared at the caller ID and pressed it against his ear.

"Yes?"

"_Rei? Are you alright, my boy?" _came the quite, yet calm voce of Mr. Dickenson.

"Mr. D?" that was when Rei well and truly broke down. "Oh God, Mr. D…they're _gone_…"

"_Shhh…it's going to be okay, Rei."_

Enraged, Rei shouted through the phone. "Okay? _OKAY?_ Nothing's going to be okay! They…are…DEAD!" He pronounced the last three words with sharp pauses in between the words. "Nothing will _ever_ be the same again…nothing…" he whispered.

"_Rei…"_

Rei said nothing; even if he had, his words would have been too distorted to hear because of the painful sobs wracking his form. He didn't even notice the doctor leave the room, as he was too busy drowning in the pain assaulting his heart and soul. He had lost his best friend, his one and only love, everyone and Mr. Dickenson was saying that it was going to be okay? Nothing was okay; it would never be 'okay' again.

"_Rei…Rei? REI?" _

The amber-eyed Nekojin snapped out of his trance-like state as a worried voice cut through his thoughts. Mr. D had obviously been calling him for a while; his tone suggested so.

Snapping the phone shut, Rei stood up on shaky legs. He felt his teammates' gazes resting on him and he stared at them with hollow, tear-filled eyes.

"I'm going down there. If you want to come, then do. If you don't want to, then don't." He left the room in a stupor, not really knowing what was going on. His mind was hazy from the emotional pain; all he wanted to do was see the place that was his friend's final resting place.

_Mariah…_

_**

* * *

**_

Kai groaned and opened his eyes. He couldn't see a thing. Everything was bathed in a startling white light, so bright that it was all he could see. Gasping at the pain that raced through his body, Kai tried to remember how he had gotten where he was. The last thing he remembered was telling Spencer that he didn't think he was going to make it out of somewhere alive. But where was that somewhere? What had happened? Where was he now?

_I open my eyes  
I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light  
I can't remember how  
I can't remember why  
I'm lying here tonight_

Sudden rushes of pain hit his battered and bruised body. He tried screaming, but for some reason, no sound escaped from between his lips. He started to struggle against the invisible hold that held him in place. Tears leaked from a pair of crimson orbs and trailed down, over his tattooed cheeks. Why was everything so hazy? An abrupt sound ripped through his mind, bringing on an instant headache. If he was dead, then why did it hurt so much? His lungs started to ache with a terrible pain so fierce, had he a voice, he would have screamed a thousand times over.

His body started to ache – from his toes to his head. He reached up with his hands and clutched his head in pain. It felt as though someone was trying to hammer an extremely large nail into his head with a blunt object.

_And I can't stand the pain  
And I can't make it go away  
No I can't stand the pain_

It was awfully quiet as Kai realised. There was no sound anywhere; it was just him and his silent screams of pain. He didn't understand what he had done to deserve the pain that was being dealt out to him.

He struggled to breath and the pain increased tenfold. It was worse than any pain he had ever felt in his life. It was worse than the pain when his parents had died, when Boris had punished him for being disobedient, worse than the injuries from his battle with Brooklyn or the crash, even worse then when Bryan had died so suddenly. It seemed as though it was all the pain he had ever received in his life put together and multiplied.

_Why? Why me?_

Just as he was about to succumb to the pain, a brilliant red light shone through the white. Kai blinked as a shape emerged from the light. He screwed his eyes shut and realised that he could see again. The light became brighter and Kai could see the vibrancy of the red through his closed lids.

A soothing voice echoed in his mind. Shocked by the voice, Kai opened his twin pools of crimson and saw a majestic bird hovering above him. The bird was achingly familiar and Kai even forgot about the pain for a second as he gazed at his faithful friend.

"_Dranzer…" _he whispered, his voice working again.

Dranzer replied with a chirp and leant down to nuzzle his neck. Kai tried leaning up to her, but his body wouldn't obey, the pain still assaulting it.

_So I try to hold onto a time when nothing mattered  
And I can't explain what happened  
And I can't erase the things that I've done  
No I can't_

_:master:_

"_Dranzer? What's going on?"_

_:let me show you, master:_

Kai felt a wave of dizziness wash over him and suddenly there was an image in front of him that wasn't white. He saw a crowd of people sitting down in a debris-littered room, defeated and dejected. Staring, he saw that he knew the people. The Majestics, the PPB All Starz, White Tiger X, the former Barthez Battalion, the Blitzkrieg Boys and…_himself_.

As he watched, Spencer got up and grabbed Tala and Ian's hand. Ian then grasped Tala's hand and then his own. Moments later, a huge roar filled the air and pieces of the building's ceiling and walls came raining down on the people crowded in the room. Horrified, Kai realised that they were all going to die and called out to them to run. They didn't listen and Kai closed his eyes as the large pieces of metal and rock hit the waiting teens.

_Everybody's screaming  
I try to make a sound but no one hears me  
I'm slipping off the edge  
I'm hanging by a thread  
I wanna start this over again_

When he opened his eyes, he was astounded to find that none of the teens were hit by the falling pieces of debris. They all lay on the ground, unconscious. Kai looked above them and what he saw, shocked him, but also filled him with gratitude and love.

Hovering above the sleeping teens were two magnificent birds; one was the epitome of fire, the other darkness.

"_Dranzer…Black Dranzer…"_

Both the phoenixes were creating what looked like some kind of shield over the bladers. The shield was holding the pieces of debris away from the teens and as they hit the shield, they shattered into millions of tiny pieces.

His faithful bitbeasts had saved everyone's lives, including his own.

He was happy beyond belief.

Another dizzying sensation came over him and Kai found himself back in the land of the white. He felt the need for sleep overcome him and once again, Kai slipped into the world of sleep.

_**

* * *

**_

Hours later, under hundreds of tonnes of rock and metal, – but safe – as rescue crews were trying to dig through the rubble that once stood as the BBD training stadium, a pair of brilliant crimson orbs opened. They looked around at the surroundings and slid closed again once a flash of red light came from beside the teen's open hand…

* * *

**End! **

**I would love to write more, but I've been writing for about five hours straight to get this chapter up before I went on holiday! I'm not that happy about the last part of the chapter, but I may change it when I'm more awake lol. **

**Well, thanks for reading this far! I don't know when I will next update…**

…**but until then, stay safe and if you're on school holidays, have fun! **

_**DancerInTheDark101**_

**P.S – Don't kill me for hurting Miguel, Mel!!!! (you know who you are -)**


	14. Revelations Hurt

**Hey there everyone! So sorry for the long delay! I came back from holiday and ended up with a massive writers block! Hopefully this chapter isn't too bad **

**I see that no one recognised the small detail I put in last chapter…**

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A special thanks to… 

kavbj – Thanks for reviewing! Happy tears are good, right? Yes I had fun on my holiday, thanks for asking. I was the one armed with the video camera…mwha ha ha So sorry it took so long, but the chapter is here now! I hope you enjoy

UNpReDiCtAbLE life – Thanks for reviewing. Is the shock good or bad??? Hope you enjoy chapter 14

d1bontemp – Yeah Spencer's cool lol. Thanks for the review. I seem to have a thing for cliffhangers…sorry! Hope you enjoy

FlyingShadow666 – Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you liked it Here is the next chapter! Enjoy…

XxSweet MitsukaixX – Yes, they are safe…but are they really??? Thanks for the review! Hyper is always good lol. All your wonderful comments have made me so happy right now! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter

n-zelda-n – Thanks again for reviewing. It's okay that you didn't have much to say. At least you took the time to review, that's enough for me! Hope you enjoy

Destiny Quill – Thanks again for the wonderful review! I'm really happy that you think that way of my writing, as sometimes I think the exact opposite. Thanks so much for all those wonderful comments. They really mean a lot. I really hope you enjoy this chapter.

Elemental Gypsy – Hey, hey, hey! Miguel isn't actually in this chapter…sorry! But I promise you –whispers in ear- he is going to be fine. No Miguel die today I also can't believe I wrote for five hours straight…It astounds me to this day lol. You love this story? Aw man, everyone's making me fell all happy inside now! Thanks for reviewing! I did indeed have a good holiday and I hope you enjoy this chappie.

Nameless Little Girl – I'm glad you loved it! Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**_DancerInTheDark101_ **

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 14: Revelations Hurt**

Voltaire grinned, his wrinkled face creasing even more with the wicked expression that flitted over his features. His cold eyes sparkled with amusement as he stared at the wide screen TV that was hanging on the wall of his office.

He was seated in a black wheelchair with a cosy looking red blanket draped over his knees. His face had taken on a slightly grey hue from the lack of sunlight and the illness that had battered his weakened body. Voltaire Hiwatari sighed and closed his eyes, satisfied. There had just been a report on the TV about the hostage situation and about the fact that the building had now completely collapsed, burying all inside.

Apparently, one of the captured bladers had somehow made it out in time and was currently in surgery at the nearest hospital. But, to most people's horror, no one else had been found and they were all – at the moment – presumed dead. That made Voltaire very pleased. He had wanted to rid the world of his meddlesome grandson and Boris Balkov for a while and now they were both gone. It was a day to celebrate.

Pressing a button on his desk, Voltaire paged his assistant. "Miss Jenson please bring up some wine from the cellar, preferably the most expensive one there. Thank you." Content, he leant back into the wheelchair and stared out the window. It was getting dark and he could feel the cold air seeping in through the open window. Shivering, he clenched his fists as his legs didn't respond to the cold. The elder man had tried many times to try and get his unfeeling legs to work or at least feel some kind of pain, but every time the result was the same: he was paralysed and there was nothing he could do about it.

There was a buzz at the door and Voltaire turned his chair to see his assistant walk through the door holding a tray in her hands, which had on it a bottle of wine and a crystal wine glass.

He wheeled himself over to her and grabbed the bottle off the tray. He examined and nodded, pleased. She had indeed got him the most expensive wine he owned. It would be a delightful way to celebrate the demise of his grandson and his former second-in-command. Voltaire wheeled himself back over to the desk and placed the tray on it. Opening the bottle of wine, he took a small sip and sighed in pleasure. The wine was divine. Maybe once he had finished the bottle of wine, he would ask for Miss Jenson to bring him up a bottle of hard vodka.

"You may leave now, Miss Jenson."

"Yes Sir." With that, she left, closing the door behind her with a small click.

Taking another sip of wine, Voltaire looked to the far edge of his desk to a silver framed photo sitting there. Frowning, he leant closer and gasped when he realised what photo it was.

It was a photo of his family before everything had gone downhill. In the photo it had been a beautiful sunny day, when birds were singing and the grass was a vibrant green. There was a family sitting on a small hill, smiles on their faces. Voltaire stared at the photo, remembering the day it had been taken. Back then, everything had been happy. But that was before he realised the potential of his grandson, before his own son decided to remove his grandson from his life.

He drained another glass of wine and poured another one. It was a brilliant day, one he wouldn't be forgetting in a hurry. Very soon, the bottle of expensive wine was gone. He sighed; feeling a little bloated and glanced at the clock that sat on his desk. His cold eyes widened in surprise when he realised that he had been drinking for over an hour. No wonder he was feeling a little tipsy.

A wave of tiredness washed over him and Voltaire buzzed in his assistant again. "Miss Jenson, would you please bring up Iris and her accomplice please? Thank you, you may retire for the night after that."

His left wrist began to hurt suddenly and the elder man grimaced. Damn Boris for planting a bomb in his office. He had to have the plaster cast on for at least six weeks, something he was not happy about. It restricted his movement and if the time came when he had to protect himself, he would be at a severe disadvantage in his wheelchair and with a broken wrist. At least if both wrists were functioning he would be able to hold two guns instead of one.

There was a buzz and the large door that opened into his office opened with a slight click once the security locks had disengaged. In walked Iris Johansson and a tall man. He didn't know who the man was, but he had heard from Iris that he was her accomplice and that he could be fully trusted to get the job done.

"Well, Iris. It's nice to see you alive and well. How are things?" he spoke with a guarded tone, his eyes narrowed in slight suspicion. He had no idea whether the assassin was in league with Boris and was here to eliminate him.

Iris smiled, her eyes sparkling slightly. "I'm well and fine, Lord Voltaire. Thank you for asking." She motioned towards the man next to her. "This is Marshall Leory. He is a doctor at the hospital in which your grandson and Tala Ivanov were admitted to. He assisted me in the elimination of those two _problems_ you had, Sir."

Voltaire eyed the man. He was tall, dark haired with the most un-impenetrable eyes he had ever seen. The man named Dr. Leory was staring off to the side of the room with a faraway look on his face. The Russian owner of BIOVOLT contemplated what to do with the man. He would obviously be a very good asset to BIOVOLT, considering he was a highly acclaimed doctor and had a thirst for eliminating _problems_.

"Well, Dr. Marshall Leory…" he spoke, his voice low and guarded. "It seems as though you are a very well disguised accomplice."

When Dr. Leory spoke, his dark eyes locked onto Voltaire's own cold ones. He was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no love or warmth in the depths of his eyes. Something he had been looking for a long time had just shown up practically on his doorstep.

"Apparently so," his mouth hardly moved at all when he spoke. "This is the first time I have helped anyone in any form of _project_. It was quite pleasant working with Iris here. She has brilliant ideas of how to accomplish things and her mind is always focused on the task ahead. To me, it shows that whomever trained her is a brilliant assassin and/or organisation. Was it you, Voltaire Hiwatari, who trained her?"

Voltaire smirked. "No, it was not I who trained Iris. But she was trained by my organisation, BIOVOLT many years ago. Ever since she completed her training she has been one of my best employees."

"Very well, then. It seems to me that BIOVOLT is a very highly acclaimed organisation. I have heard from sources of mine that it is widely feared around the world and the former world champion beyblading team, the Blitzkrieg Boys were trained in the Abbey?"

"Yes that is correct. Although, currently they are not the world champions and they are no longer part of BIOVOLT." Under his breath he added: "Stupid meddling brats. They had everything they ever wanted, why run from it all?"

"That is very true. Why run?"

Voltaire looked up, shocked. He had spoken the last part of the sentence very quietly and in Russian, yet the man had heard him and understood what he had been saying.

"You understand Russian, Dr. Leory?"

The doctor nodded. "I was taught many languages as a child and because of such teachings I was able to live and work overseas for many years. That was where I found my love for the _other side_ of my work."

Nodding in approval, Voltaire turned to Iris. The woman was standing away from himself and Dr. Leory, not wanting to intrude on their conversation. "Iris, come here."

She obeyed and Voltaire nodded at her to relax and speak her mind. "How would you like it if Dr. Leory here was to become your new partner at BIOVOLT? You did a great job of ridding this world of my grandson and that pain Boris. You deserve something as a reward."

Both of the assassins looked at him, shock written on their features. That was something they obviously didn't see coming. Voltaire knew that he wasn't the kind of man to just suddenly hand out jobs to work in BIOVOLT. He was very picky when it came to applicants and normally they had to go through a set of extremely gruelling tests before being picked as the final few. Yet, here he was, just handing out a position to partner with BIOVOLT's top assassin.

"Sir?" came the surprised voice of Iris. "Are you sure about this, Sir?"

Voltaire locked eyes with the woman. "Why, Iris, whatever is the matter? I thought you trusted him? Would you not like to work with him? I am giving you an opportunity to do just that."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir." She smiled slightly, the gratitude showing through her eyes. Voltaire frowned as a look passed between the two assassins. There was something that they weren't telling him and he was going to find out.

"What's going on, you two? There is something that you aren't telling me and if I find out that it could jeopardise this organisation, you _will_ be dealt with accordingly."

Dr. Leory hung his head slightly, a form of pain flickering across his face. It was the only emotion Voltaire had seen on the man since he had walked into his office. "You see, Sir…Iris and I, we're…emotionally attached as I would put it."

"You're together?"

"Yes, Sir."

Voltaire frowned slightly, but the fact that they were together didn't faze him much. In fact, it made things even better. The two assassins would watch out for each other and make sure that everything was perfect and precise so that either of them weren't captured or killed whilst doing a job.

"That doesn't matter, you'll just be more careful, won't you?" he sneered. They both flinched a little and shared a glance. Voltaire was content with his decision to employ the doctor. With a sadistic smile he reached into a draw and pulled out a piece of paper. The white object slid a lit before landing in front of BIOVOLT's newest employee.

"Fill in your details and sign if you wish to become part of the empire that is BIOVOLT."

Dr. Leory thought for a moment before taking the black pen that had been laid in front of him and filled in his details. A few minutes later, his name was scrawled in lack ink at the bottom of the page.

Voltaire turned to his newest recruit. "Welcome to BIOVOLT, Marshall Leory," he said with a smile that hid sinister intentions. This newest employee was going to be a great asset to his organisation. When he was finished with the doctor, he would just dispose of him and get another. Doctors were extremely useful, but eventually their use ran out.

"You may go now. Iris, show your partner to his quarters. You may share quarters if you must. Good day."

They left and Voltaire sighed again. The day was catching up to him, the stress of finding another employee and the fact that practically the whole world was looking for him. He knew that he was presumed dead, but he wasn't and even if no one knew he wasn't dead, it didn't ease his weariness at all. He had to be careful. If someone found out that he was still alive…

Voltaire didn't want to think of the consequences. If he found out that it was someone from inside BIOVOLT who sold him out – if that ever happened – he would have that person's head.

He reclined back into the chair and exhaled a deep breath. His eyes began to close slowly as the light coming from the overhead lamp flickered. The night was growing cold and Voltaire shivered again. As his body began to fall into a state of sleep, his mind began working overtime. Thoughts raced through his brain at a million miles an hour, thinking about his latest recruit, his dead son and grandson and his former second-in-command.

A small smirk played on his lips as there was a rustling sound coming from a corner of the room. Lifting his head slightly, Voltaire looked over to where a figure was standing in shadow. The person was tall, slim and was standing in a very tense position.

"You may come out now, Boris."

The man stepped out of the shadows and into the flickering light. Boris was suddenly bathed in light and his horrific wounds were revealed for all to see.

The left side of his face was horribly burned and that eye was covered in a patch, the eye gone. Most of his hair had been singed off and cuts decorated his almost bald head. There was a particularly nasty abrasion that ran from just above his right eye, across his forehead and right to the back of his head. Voltaire couldn't help but cringe at his _former_ second-in-command's state. He looked awful.

Boris' right arm was in a cast, handing limply by his side. His clothes were baggy and hanging off his frame, which Voltaire realised was because of the bandages that wound around Boris' body.

"Well, hello there, Boris."

The injured man sneered. "Hello, Voltaire," nodding, he limped over to the desk and slumped into one of the leather chairs. "How are things?"

Voltaire only nodded. "What happened, Boris? How the hell did they overpower you? The BBA training building is now in ruins and I have no idea of how or why it happened. _What happened?_" he demanded, his tone fierce and cold.

Boris hung his head slightly and when he looked back up, his eyes were shining with malice and hate. "It was that brat of yours, Kaiaiai. He's been hiding her ever since he left BIOVOLT."

"Hiding whom? Boris…"

The BIOVOLT second-in-command growled a little. "Black Dranzer. The brat has been hiding the dark beast from everyone. He used it on Brooklyn, which ended up making the stadium unstable." Of course, he wasn't about to tell Voltaire that was _his_ bombs that made the building collapse. He would be killed for it. "His new attack that involved _both_ Dranzer and Black Dranzer is called something like 'Death and Rebirth'. An amazing attack that completely devastated Brooklyn and Zeus. That attack was the reason behind the structural damage of the building, which resulted in it collapsing."

If there was an inquiry – which there would most definitely be – it would look as though it had been the attack that had brought down the building instead of the strategically placed bombs all over the place. Boris smirked, his face hidden from Voltaire's view.

The elder man was completely oblivious to everything that was happening around him. He didn't even know that his grandson was still alive.

Voltaire narrowed his eyes as Boris turned his head slightly and smirked. The purple-haired man thought that he was completely oblivious to everything. He wasn't stupid; he knew that something was going on. He just quite didn't know what it was yet.

What he hadn't been prepared for though, was the fact that his grandson had Black Dranzer. Of course, the brat didn't have it anymore because he was dead. It didn't excuse the fact that he had acquired the beast in the first place. Now, Black Dranzer was most probably buried beneath hundreds of tonnes of rock and rubble. He _had_ to get the dark beast back. That would be his next task for Leory and Iris.

Thinking about the pair, he would have to tell Leory to think of an alias. Marshall Leory was his real name, as Voltaire had checked it out before the man had walked into the room. Iris wasn't his female counterpart's name and he wondered if even Leory knew who she really was. Voltaire knew who the woman was and if it ever got out that she worked for BIOVOLT, he knew more than a few people whose lives would change drastically.

Iris Johansson was a woman of many secrets, most even worse than his own. He wondered what would happen if her secrets were to get out…

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Kai lay on the ground with his eyes partially open. He couldn't see much as it was almost complete darkness where he was. Dranzer was nestled next to him and she provided him much needed warmth. He lifted a slender hand stroked the feathers on her head. The firebird had saved him and everyone else on more than one circumstance. He owed his life to her. 

"Dranzer…" he whispered, his voice raucous. The phoenix chirped happily at the sound of her master's voice. Another bout of warmth radiated off her and Kai sighed, happy. He had no idea how long it had been since the building had collapsed and Dranzer and Black Dranzer had saved them all. The blue-haired enigma didn't know where anyone else was, didn't even know if they were all okay. When he had awoken, he had been alone.

Where were Tala, Ian and Spencer? Were they okay? Kai didn't know what he would do if they all didn't make it. Those three teens were the only family he had left. His parents died when he was young and he didn't count his grandfather as family any more. His grandfather was supposedly dead, but he didn't believe it for an instant. Voltaire Hiwatari was not one to just give up, roll over and die. The BIOVOLT owner was alive; Kai just didn't know where he was.

Struggling to sit upright, Kai gasped for breath. His lungs were protesting about the amount of air he needed to get in order to do the normal task of sitting up. The injures from the crash and battle with Brooklyn were not healing as well as he had hoped they would and now they were giving him lots of grief. Wheezing, Kai coughed as dust flew up all around him.

Looking around where he was using Dranzer's light, Kai saw that he was back in the main room of the building. There were large poles lying everywhere from where the structure of the building had imploded inwards on itself.

_:master Kai. Please, take it easy:_ came the soothing voice in his head.

"I'll take it easy," Kai ground out through gritted teeth, "when I bloody well get _out of here!_"

He hadn't meant to yell at Dranzer. She was only trying to help and once again, she was dead right. If he didn't take it easy then he wouldn't have the energy to look for everyone else and try to get them out of the building.

Standing up slowly, Kai winced as his wounds were aggravated and some ripped open again. There was a throbbing pain in his head and he lifted a hand to probe his head. Moments later he found a large gash that was closed with dried blood. A fingernail scraped along it by accident and suddenly a warm liquid began to flow down the side of his face. He had reopened the cut. Cursing under his breath, Kai held his hand against the cut and tried to stem the flow of blood. His hand became covered in the sticky substance and when he pulled his hand away, it was coated in red.

"Shit," he sighed. This definitely wasn't his day. Things had been going wrong since before the sun had even risen for the day. He rubbed his tired eyes as he willed his body to take a stumbling step forward. He almost tripped and fell, but Dranzer caught him before he hit the ground.

Suddenly, a shout caught his attention. Kai strained to hear who was yelling and seconds later he recognised the voice as belonging to Johnny, the hothead from the Majestics.

"Kai! Tala! Spencer! Ian! Lee! Robert! Mariah! Can anyone hear me?" The last part of the sentence sounded dejected and Kai realised that Johnny must have been yelling for quite a while for him to sound the way he was. Taking in a shuddering breath, Kai prepared himself to shout back to the European blader.

"Johnny? Where are you?"

There was a gasp and Kai felt relief wash through his aching bones. Johnny had obviously heard him by the reaction he got and was making his way over to him as he waited. Kai abruptly felt his legs give way and he slumped to the ground, his head hung and his eyes shadowed by his blue hair.

"Kai? Is that you? Oh god, pleas tell me it's you…" Kai could hear Johnny talking to himself as he made his way through all the debris that had fallen all over the large room.

Kai was about to respond to Johnny, but when he opened his mouth and took a fairly deep breath it developed into a terrible coughing fit. Placing a hand over his mouth, Kai coughed. A wet substance made itself known in his palm and Kai looked down to see his hand stained with red. He was coughing up blood, which meant that the internal bleeding was back.

"Shit…"

"KAI?" came the worried voice from somewhere in front of him. Kai coughed again and signalled Dranzer to light up so that Johnny would be able to see where they were. He heard another gasp when Dranzer lit up. "Is that you, Kai? Answer me, god damn it!"

"Johnny…" Kai gasped out. He closed his eyes to fight the pain assaulting his body, especially his chest, and clenched his fists. Dranzer leant her head on his shoulder and tried to ease some of the pain. Kai was grateful, but pushed her away.

"_You're going to get too exhausted, Dranz. You need to go back into your blade,"_ he mind spoke to the firebird. Dranzer looked at him with sad eyes, but obeyed and returned to the blue blade that was situated beside him.

Moments later, a red-haired figure appeared out of the shadows and into the small amount of light that was emitting from the blue object.

"Oh my god, it really is you, Kai!" exclaimed Johnny, his eyes burning with relief. The European blader ran a hand through his hair, which was almost as bright as a certain Russian he knew.

"Hey, Johnny," he murmured, unable to speak any louder. His throat hurt from the coughing and his chest was burning with pain. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to survive with no medical attention, unless…

…unless he got Dranzer or Black Dranzer to heal him at least somewhat. But doing that meant that they would use up some of their energy - energy that was crucial to everyone. The only way they were going to get out of the mess they were in would be to use their bitbeasts in a way to rid the debris from around and above them. Even though they were mainly unhurt, there were still hundreds of tonnes of debris above them that could collapse at any time. Kai did _not_ want to be in the ruined building when the weight got too much for the remaining structural walls and poles and the debris rained down on them. It had already happened once before and it was only because of Black Dranzer and Dranzer that everyone was unhurt by the incident.

Afterwards, Kai had found that the two phoenixes' energy had been severely depleted due to the shield they had formed to protect everyone. He didn't think that they would have nearly enough energy to do it again if the time called for it.

"Hold shit, Kai! Are you okay?"

Kai turned to Johnny slowly and assessed the damage that he may have sustained. Kai couldn't see any real bad injuries on the teen, but there were more than a few cuts and bruises littering the uncovered parts of his body.

"Johnny, " he began. "Do you know where any one else is? I haven't seen anyone since I woke up…"

The European shook his head sadly, his eyes downcast. "Sorry, Kai. I haven't seen anyone either."

Deflated, Kai felt himself begin to shake as shock started to take over. His jumbled mind processed the fact that Johnny had rushed over to him and was holding him upright, not letting him fall. He realised what kind of state he would be in; his eyes would be wide and frightened, his breathing irregular, chest heaving.

"Fuck…can't breathe…" The statement was true. Kai couldn't breathe as he struggled to stay awake. His chest was rising and falling, trying to get precious air in, but no air seemed to be filling his airways. He gripped his bloodstained shirt with a free hand, straining to breathe. Kai felt perspiration falling down his no doubt grey face, dripping from his face and onto his shirt.

Johnny grabbed Kai and he felt himself being lifted into Johnny's arms, bridal style. The he felt Johnny start to run. The European teen was sprinting, careful not to hit any debris in the way. His breath was coming in pants and Kai tried to make his breathing the same as Johnny's. After a few minutes of running, Kai felt his breathing settle and suddenly a huge rush of air entered his lungs.

Gasping, Kai gripped Johnny's arm and squeezed. The redhead stopped running and looked at him. Kai took in a deep breath to show the blader that he was able to breathe again, as he didn't quite trust his voice and he didn't want to look any weaker than he already did.

"You can put me down now, Johnny."

Johnny obeyed and as soon as Kai was on his feet, he swayed a little. He steadied himself by grabbing onto the nearest piece of debris. The blue-haired Russian sighed and ran his hands through his messy hair as he contemplated what to do. They were in the middle of a dangerous building that could collapse at any time, injured and didn't know where anyone else – or the exit – was.

"What are we going to do now, Kai? We don't know where anyone else is, or even if they're alive…"

Kai stopped, shocked. Then he remembered the vision that Dranzer had shown him. Confusion settled in his being as he remembered that when the vision had ended, everyone had been together, all safe and okay. Although, when he had woken he had been alone. There had been no sign whatsoever that anyone else had been there with him. What the hell was going on?

"Johnny, do you remember how you got where you were when you woke up? Do you recall where you were before everything came crashing down?"

The red-haired blader was about to answer when he abruptly stopped. Kai saw the look that passed over the teen's face and suddenly he was facing Johnny who had a confused look plastered across his features. "What a minute, Kai. You were unconscious when everything collapsed…how the hell do you know what happened? And what the hell _did_ happen? One minute we were going to die and the next I wake up alone, and _alive_."

Kai sighed, wondering how the hell he was going to explain it all to Johnny. In the end, all he said was one word. "Dranzer…"

That word was sufficient enough and Johnny nodded. "Tell her I said thank you."

A black light started to glow from in his pocket and Kai realised that it hadn't just been Dranzer. Black Dranzer had saved everyone as well. "Wait, Johnny. Black Dranzer helped as well…"

"What?" came the incredulous reply.

Kai found himself seething after Johnny's response. _Is it too hard to believe that maybe Black Dranzer isn't evil?_

His face must have shown the anger as Johnny swiftly backed away from him. "S-sorry, Kai. It won't h-happen again."

The Russian teen was about to apologise, when a large crash reverberated through the building – or what was left of it. Kai spun around, careful not to lose his balance and fall over. A ray of sunlight hit him in the face and Kai shielded his eyes with a hand. He could see blue sky through a crack in the ceiling. Then a wave of horror crashed into him. _If I can see the sky…and it wasn't there before…oh shit!_

The roof – or rather, the debris above them – was starting to collapse. He shared a look with Johnny and Kai was about to start running when another part of the roof collapsed right in front of them, blocking their path.

Turning at high speed, Kai started to run in the opposite direction, Johnny following him. As he ran, Kai called out to Johnny: "Do you have _any_ idea where everyone else could be?"

The answer that he received was not one that he really wanted to hear. "Sorry, Kai! I don't! When I woke up, I was in a completely different place to where I lost consciousness!"

Kai could feel his body tiring and he cursed. Normally, he was extremely fit and could run for miles, but he was exhausted from his battle with Brooklyn and was injured. There was no way he would be able to last much longer in his condition. He may have been harsh at G Revolution's training, but even he knew that pushing himself to the limit wasn't going to help anyone in any way. All it would do was exhaust himself and make himself a burden to whoever was with him. If he was on his own…well then, he was screwed.

Another loud crunching sound came from behind him and Kai kept on running. He had no idea where the hell he was going, except for the fact that everything looked the same. Dust rained down on them and the Russian teen had to constantly rub his eyes to get rid of the dust that was falling into them.

Unexpectedly, a door appeared in front of him and Kai stopped short. Johnny crashed into him from behind and Kai winced as the force of the crash aggravated his wounds. He just stood there and stared at the door for a bit before being urged forward by Johnny. Kai gripped the handle lightly and slowly turned it. The door opened with a click and Kai found himself bathed in bright light.

They had found the way out…

"We're out!" screamed Johnny. Kai didn't say anything. He turned back to look inside the building that had almost become his tomb. As the word tomb echoed in his mind, Kai felt guilt run through him. He had found the way out, but for some reason, he couldn't make himself step out into the safety of the outside world.

Tala… 

The other captured bladers and his friends were still inside the building. They were still alive, Kai knew that much. He wasn't about to take his freedom when they were still trapped in a place where they couldn't get out.

Kai turned to Johnny, who was smiling, happy to get out of the place alive. "Johnny, I'm going back in."

There was a shocked silence and Kai averted his gaze from Johnny's piercing eyes. "WHAT!?! Why?"

"Because everyone else is still trapped in there and I'm not about to let them die on me," was his only response. He started to walk back inside when a hand gripped his arm tightly. Frowning, Kai glared at Johnny, telling him to let him go.

"Let me go with you."

Crimson orbs widened in surprise and Kai shook his head. "No, you have to go and find someone and tell them that everyone is still alive, but trapped. Tell G Revolution that I'm okay," he ignored the look that Johnny shot him and continued talking. "Tell them that I'm okay and that I am still inside looking for the others. Oh and tell Rei that Mariah's just fine."

Johnny nodded and Kai graced the European with one of his extremely rare – even if it was small – smiles. He almost laughed at the look on Johnny's face. Taking in a deep breath, Kai pushed Johnny out the door and into the sunlight then turned back into the building, shutting and locking the door behind him so that Johnny couldn't follow him.

"Take care, Kai!" called out a voice from the other side of the door. Smiling grimly, Kai set off to find the rest of the trapped bladers.

The debris seemed to be even worse since he had passed it only moments before and Kai had trouble manoeuvring around the large pieces of rock and metal. The wound on his stomach began to protest when he had to resort to climbing over the debris and Kai felt the blood start to run from between the rows of ripped stitches. No doubt he would be going back into surgery when this was all over, _if_ it ever ended.

Suddenly, another patch of blue sky appeared above him and Kai winced as the light hit his sensitive eyes that had been in the darkness for so long. Dranzer was still shining her light from his beyblade and Kai mentally thanked her for that.

"Hey! You!"

Kai looked up, astonished. There was a person at the top of the ceiling where the last hole had appeared. The person was clad in bright orange rescue clothes. Kai couldn't believe it. People were trying to break through the ceiling to try and find them when there was a door somewhere, where they could have just _walked in_. Unless…unless they thought that they were all dead…

Then there would be no point of sending in a rescue team through the door. Or maybe they didn't know of the door…

"You, down there! You okay!?"

Kai looked up again at the female rescuer. He nodded and hoped like hell that she saw, as he didn't think his voice would work well enough for him to yell up to her.

"What's your name?" came the response.

Kai groaned as he realised he _was_ going to have to yell back up to her. "It's Kai!" he yelled. He winced as he heard his own voice. It was hoarse and sounded as though someone had shoved sandpaper down his throat.

"Kai!?!"

He nodded again and he heard a strange noise coming from the ceiling. The woman was attached to a rope, which was descending down past the debris, into the half collapsed building. Moments later, she landed on the ground with a sight clunk; due to the metal boots she was wearing.

Breathing heavily, Kai sat down all of a sudden. He lifted his hands and massaged his throbbing temples. There was now a person who could help him search for everyone who was still missing.

"Hey," spoke a soft voice. "You okay there?"

"There are still others missing. They're alive, I just don't know where they are…"

He caught the sympathetic glance that the woman sent him and Kai growled deep in his throat. "I am _not_ in shock, okay! I _know_ that they are alive! I have seen them with my own eyes!"

"Kai, honey," she began, placing a warm hand on his shoulder. "You are lucky to have survived that last collapse. I don't think that anyone else would have survived, Kai. This is the only part of the building that hasn't been completely destroyed. I'm sorry…"

"NO!" he screamed, wrenching her hand off his shoulder. "They are alive! I just know it!"

"Kai, stop being so delusional." Kai frowned at her words.

_What the hell? Her voice sounds so familiar. Where have I heard that voice before?_

_------------_

"_Kai?" she groaned. "What's up? Is it morning?"_

_Kai nodded to the last question and cleared his throat. He knew it was going to be hard to talk, as it was even hard to breathe._

_------------_

Astounded, Kai was amazed that his voice even worked at all. "I-Iris?"

"Hello, Kai. It's nice to see you again. Although I must add that you don't look much better then the last time I saw you." Iris chuckled and Kai frowned again. There was something sinister about that chuckle.

"What is going on, Iris?"

"You're pathetic, Kai. Your friends are dead, every…last…one…of…them. Because…I killed them."

Kai couldn't have been shocked had she actually shot him. Then it hit him. Iris was working for Boris or his grandfather…she was supposed to kill him…

"I see you've figured it all out now, haven't you? Your grandfather did say that you were a smart boy though," she sneered, malice gleaming in her eyes.

"No one knows that you're still alive, Kai and it's going to stay that way, because once I kill you, this place is going to light up like a fireworks display at Christmas. I'm sure it will look spectacular from where ever you may be…"

Kai felt something that he realised was fear creep through his bones and chill him. This woman in front of him had been with him when the helicopter crashed, when Dr. Ollie Amaralli was looking after him. This woman was a murderer hired by his grandfather. He had trusted her with his life…"

Iris pulled out a sharp, silver knife and Kai stood completely still as its place glinted in the small amount of sunlight that was filtering through the holes in the ceiling.

He was injured, unarmed and alone with a woman who wanted to kill him…

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**End of the 14****th**** chapter! Wow, I never thought I would reach 14 chapters! Thanks so much to everyone who has supported me in any way or form throughout this fic. Thanks!**

**Till next time **

_**DancerInTheDark101**_


	15. Perfect World

**Hey there everyone! I am so terribly sorry for the two-week wait for chapter 15! But I was cursed with the dreaded writers block. Thankfully, after reading an excellent fic last night, it has been lifted!!! All praise kavbj for her wonderful fic!!!** **(The Manipulators: Guardians. It's an awesome fantasy fic starring none other than our fave; Kai!)**

**Before I go onto the review reply's I would like to thank everyone who has put this story on their faves or alerts! So thanks to:**

**xXUrbanRegalityXx, kwaiblxhabdload, kavbj, ****d1bontemp, ****blueXXphoenix, ****XSilentX-XshadowsX, ****UNpReDiCtAbLE lIfE, ****Ray-Tiger-Cat, ****Nightwhisper01, ****Lunar-Ph0enix, ****Happiness's Deceit, ****FlamingIce94, ****Elemental Gypsy, ****twin1, ****n-zelda-n, ****godsfallenangel, ****XxSweet MitsukaixX, ****Vulpix1000, ****Nameless Little Girl, ****MikaMiko, ****Maria-Lilly, ****Inner Dragon, ****FlyingShadow666, ****Destiny Quill, ****Cailany**** and ****BloodRedViolet. **

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A special thanks to… 

kavbj – yeah I never thought I would reach 14 chapters! Iris may be bluffing; she may not…read to find out! A sequel? I hadn't even thought about that because this fic has a LONG way to go lol. Thanks for reviewing.

FlyingShadow666 – thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter! Sorry about the long wait

d1bontemp – hehe, I hate Iris so much too! And I created her…0.o You'll just have to read to see if all the bladers are dead or if Iris is a liar. Voltaire and Boris' relationship (no yaoi lol) is complicated and about Iris being someone Kai used to know? I have no idea! Lol Thanks for reviewing.

Maria-Lilly – a new reviewer! Welcome to the wacky world of IFOF :) yes Iris is evil and she may only get worse…thanks for the reviews.

FlamingIce94 – another new reviewer! Welcome! Thanks for the nice review. Sorry I couldn't update sooner.

n-zelda-n – sorry bout leaving last chapter in a bad place! I couldn't help myself lol. You may be right about the bladers, but you may be wrong…you never know…hehe. Thanks for the review.

Destiny Quill – thanks for the review! goes into imagery state A bloated Voltaire? OMG, hilarious! That would be so funny lol. The 'Kaiaiai' part _was_ unintentional, I think it was just a typo…0.o One of the best chapters so far? I'm flattered! Kai can take much more lol. But maybe, just maybe, he might be getting to the end of his endurance…I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm so sorry about the wait.

UNpReDiCtAbLE lIfE – thanks for the review. Will he die? Will he live? This chapter explains all…well, not ALL, but a bit…I hope lol.

Elemental Gypsy – thanks for reviewing. I'm sorry about the wait! Sorry, but Miguel's not in this chapter either…How is everyone going to get out of the mess? Somehow, I hope Iris does indeed need to die. But will she actually drop dead, or will she live to terrorise our favourite Russian?

XxSweet MitsukaixX – a shocking cliffhanger? I hope that the end of this chapter isn't too bad…hehe, I LOVE surprises…whispers into XxSweet MitsukaixX's ear there is another surprise in this chapter too. The others may be dead, they may be alive. Read and you shall find out! I am extremely sorry for the extremely late update! I have been busy as well. Hope you enjoy.

BloodRedViolet – another new reviewer? Wow, cool! Hehe, I know I'm evil, but I seem to have this _thing_ for cliffhangers. They love me and I love them back lol. Thanks for the review. Enjoy.

Keight Ylonen (via email) – thanks for reviewing! Yes Voltaire and Boris _did_ hate each other's guts, that's why Boris decided to blow up Voltaire lol. And no you aren't forgetting any important details lol. I just haven't decided to divulge _certain_ things yet :) Hope you enjoy the chapter. Oh and I am SO sorry that I haven't emailed you back! I seriously spent an hour writing a reply and I just checked my 'sent' box and it wasn't there! It never sent! So, I'll email you tomorrow, k? So sorry!!!!!

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**_DancerInTheDark101_**

**

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**

**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**Chapter 15:** **Perfect World**

**_I never could've seen this far _**

**_I never could've seen this coming_**

**_Seems like my world's falling apart_**

Rei looked at the once spectacular building that was known as the BBA Training Stadium. Right now, it was no longer spectacular. It was lying in ruins, dust still spilling from the more affected areas of the building.

_So this is the final resting place for most of my closest friends…_Rei thought somberly. There were still-drying tears on his face and he had made no attempt to wipe them away. He had heard someone tell him once that tears were for the weak and deserved no recognition. Now, Rei believed that what that person said was dead wrong. Tears were a way to express extreme sadness. If a person didn't show their emotions, it could do great harm to them if they were kept bottled up inside.

A sudden pang of guilt hit him as Rei realised what he had been thinking. He had been thinking about how wrong a certain person had been, when this person was no longer of this world.

_Oh god, Kai…I'm so sorry…_

Another blast erupted from the ruined building and sent waves of agony down his spine. He was wondering if they had felt any pain when their end neared, or if they had died peacefully and blissfully unconscious.

_Mariah… _

_**In a perfect world**_

_**  
In a perfect world**_

_**  
You'd still be here**_

_**  
And it makes no sense**_

_**  
**_A crystalline tear dropped from an amber eye and trailed down his tanned face as he thought about the pink-haired girl who had captivated his world for so long. He had always meant to ask her out on a date, but had never had the guts to do it. Now…now it was too late and he would never have the chance again. She was gone, gone from his life forever.

Rei hated the word 'forever.' It symbolised the fact that it would be for the rest of their life. It symbolised that eternity was mocking them; depriving them of the thing they loved the most. Forever was so long…

The more he thought about it, the more he hated the world. Everyone in the building didn't deserve to die. Even some of the BIOVOLT men may have been blackmailed into serving Boris. They all would have a family who loved and cared for them, yet their lives were ripped away in an instant. Hundreds of people would be mourning the loss of many good people, almost all of them still in their teenage years.

Screwing his eyes shut against the anguish, Rei thought about how the beyblading world would react. Every top team in the world was…gone. Tyson, Max and himself were the only world class beybladers left. Everyone else had perished in the accident that should have never happened. The world lost a lot of good people in one day…good people who should have lived long and great lives, doing what they loved.

It was ironic that the thing they loved had in the end killed them. It had been Boris' thirst for power to dominate the beyblading world that had resulted in the many tragic deaths. A wave of anger ripped through his being as Rei remembered the man who went by the name of Boris Balkov. He despised the man who had tormented their lives ever since the Russian tournament and Kai's entire life. He was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of more than twenty people in one day. This was a day that Rei would never, _ever_ forget. The date was forever implanted in his mind.

_There goes that word 'forever' again…_

Reaching up, Rei dried away the tears that had left trails on his cheeks. Sniffing, he stared at the final resting place of his best friends and the girl he loved. "Mariah, I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. I…I love you…"

Suddenly another bout of grief hit him and the tears started to leak from his amber orbs again. He slumped to the ground, his face in his hands as he sobbed for his losses. No doubt, the other members of G Revolution were reacting in the same way to the horror that had unfolded.

There were going to be a lot of funerals once everything had been cleaned up and the bodies recovered. Rei chocked as the word 'bodies' crossed his mind. The fact that none of them were coming back was too much for him to handle.

_**I wish that I could bring you back**_

_**Cuz I can't let go**_

_**Without you I just can't find my way**_

"Rei?"

The Nekojin turned to see Max and Tyson staring at him. Their eyes were red-rimmed and tearstains decorated their cheeks. Max's blue eyes were still watering at the sight that was placed out for everyone to see. The dust that had once been billowing from the building had dissipated somewhat and Rei was able to see the full extent of the damage. The BBA Training Stadium would never stand again; the damage was horrendous.

"Are you—stupid question…of course you're not okay." The navy-haired world champ smiled grimly. He was still struggling to come to terms with what had happened and rei didn't blame him. He was having trouble doing the exact same thing. Suddenly, Max burst out in tears and Rei felt his face drop. The blonde boy was shaking violently as the crystalline tears rolled down his cheeks. Out of all of them, Max was the most innocent. He had lived a good life and this event must have been an extremely big shock.

Rei stood up and walked over to where the blonde boy was standing. He wrapped his arms around the American blader and hugged him tight. "Shhh, Maxie. Let it all out. Don't hold anything back…" Rei just wished that he could take his own advice and let all his emotions out in the air.

"W-why Rei? W-why them? W-why'd they have to go away? I want them b-back, Rei!"

"I know, Maxie. I want them back too." With that, Rei felt his body start trembling with the sobs escaping his lips. A sudden pressure hit his back and rei turned to see Tyson joining in on the hug. Tears were also escaping his blue eyes.

The pain was indescribable as they all hugged each other in an attempt to try and ease the pain that they all knew wouldn't leave.

As Rei stared over Tyson and Max's shoulders at the BBA Training Stadium, he saw something erupt from part of the building. It looked as though to be coming from the main training room. The dark shadow like mist shot skywards and formed what looked like a familiar mystical bird. A pair of startling red eyes shone from within the shadowy mist before dimming and the shadow bird dove back into the building, leaving nothing behind to show it had even been there.

Confused, Rei couldn't stop staring at the place where the shadow had been, hoping that it would return so he could determine whether or not it was what he thought it was. When nothing appeared, Rei sighed in defeat and leant against his friends.

The sky was darkening as they stood there, their grief feeding off each other's and growing larger with every passing minute. All Rei wanted to do was see _any_ form of life; even a flicker of a light would be sufficient at the time. Anything that would mean anything…

Shivering from the drop in temperature, Rei huddled in closer to Max and Tyson who were both still crying. As they sat there, they all stared at the BBA Training Stadium with partly glazed eyes. Shock was starting to set in, but Rei didn't care. He wanted the oblivion that came with shock. He wanted to forget everything that had happened, even if it was only for a short time.

As day turned into night, Rei still sat on the grassy bank opposite the building. His mind became numb, so numb that he didn't notice when Mr. Dickenson arrived and draped a warm blanket over them to keep them at least somewhat warm. He was hoping for a miracle and that Mariah, White Tiger X, the former members of Barthez Battalion, the PPB All Starz, The Majestics, the Blitzkrieg Boys and of course, Kai would just walk out of the building, fine and well. Somewhere deep within his subconsciousness, Rei knew that it would never happen.

_**I don't know what I should do now**_

_**  
I'm still here waiting for you**_

_Please, Mariah…please come back to me. I cant lose you…I need you. Please, come back…_

_**I'm lost when you're not around**_

_**  
I need to hold on to you**_

_**  
I just can't let you go…**_

* * *

A pair of slightly glazed crimson orbs locked with a pair of cold, hard eyes. The woman standing opposite him with the silver knife held out in front of her like a gun was completely still. Malice, hatred and raw determination burned from within the depths of her eyes, which were a pale blue. **(A/N: sorry if I have written that her eyes were a different colour, but for the sake of the plot, her eyes are now blue)**

Kai narrowed his own pools of red at the emotions running across his would-be killer's face. The woman was clearly struggling with something internal and he just hoped that what ever it was, didn't affect whether he lived or died. Thinking about death, Kai wondered whether her words were true. Was everyone else truly dead? Tala's face emerged in his mind and Kai could remember clearly the pale skin, blazing red hair and shining eyes.

A sudden ray of hope rushed through his being as he recollected that Johnny had been able to get free and was currently trying to find help. Hopefully, just hopefully, they arrived in time to stop Iris. The Russian teen knew that he wouldn't be able to last long in a physical fight with the woman: he was too exhausted from his battle with Brooklyn and trying desperately to find a way out of the dangerously unstable building. Whereas Iris was fit, unhurt, _armed_ and was full of energy. If it came down to it, Kai knew that he wouldn't last ten minutes with her.

"Well, Kai," Iris sneered, her blue eyes narrowing in humour. "Will you fight or lie down like a good dog and die?" Kai growled at the laughter that underlined her words. She was enjoying seeing him weak and unable to protect himself.

"Neither," was all Kai said and he could see the look of confusion passing over Iris' tanned face. Clenching his fists, Kai stared at her, his crimson eyes blazing with an inner fire. He was furious that this woman had at first protected him and helped him live; yet now she was trying to extinguish his life. There was something funny about how it had all come about and Kai wasn't about to hurt her until he knew the full truth.

"Why not?" came the response to his one word answer. Her eyes were scanning over his body as if searching for a hidden weapon or something along those lines. Kai knew that she needed not bother. He had no weapons of any sort on hi, so there was no chance of him ever taking her by surprise.

Suddenly realisation dawned on him like a lightning bolt flashing through a stormy sky. His mind became clear as a sparkling crystal. He _did_ have a weapon on him, two to be precise. How he hadn't thought of it earlier was surprising and Kai mentally scolded himself. Smirking, he glanced at Iris' stunned expression. She was obviously wondering what he was up to.

"Why not, Kai?" she asked, becoming impatient. Kai didn't say a word, testing her patience and buying himself some time. A plan was forming in his mind as they stared at each other. He just hoped that it worked so that he could get away from her and search for the others. The Russian blader knew that they weren't dead. She couldn't have killed them and then somehow got out of the building and come down through the roof, could she?

Kai shook his head in denial. He couldn't afford to be thinking as if she had killed everyone. Tala, Spencer, Ian and the other bladers were strong and it would have taken a lot more than a single woman to take all of them down.

"I'm waiting, Kai…"

Kai noted the impatience in her voice and smirked. Everything was working just how he wanted it. He would wait until she was ready to lunge at him from her impatience; the impatience that would be her very downfall. That was when he would bring out his _weapons_.

Still he said nothing. He could see Iris' free hand clenching and unclenching in a methodical way, her face showing the strain of keeping her anger in check. Kai was waiting for her anger to let loose, so that he could get free from the predicament he was Slowly, very slowly, Iris Johansson lost control of her emotions and leapt forward, her knife wielding hand in front ready to stab him.

The slate-haired Russian dodged out of the way and reached behind his body and pulled out a certain weapon. Pulling it in front of his body, Kai pulled the ripcord and Dranzer flew from the launcher, right into Iris' midriff. She let out a grunt of pain and stumbled sideways, almost losing her balance. Once she recovered a few seconds later, Kai had to dodge again as she attacked.

The silver knife glinted in the sunlight streaming through the holey ceiling, which played to Kai's advantage. He could see where her weapon was and it gave him time to avoid the stabbing motions. Gasping, he evaded another stab from Iris and called out to his faithful companion.

"Dranzer! Rise!"

At his command, a glowing red light emitted from his royal blue blade. A moment later, a fiery, magnificent bird rose from the light. Dranzer's beauty shone all through the half destroyed room and Kai smiled softly up at her. The firebird let out a loud screech and suddenly her feathers became alight with intense red flames. The glowing around her body ceased and mesmerising flames took its place. The room heated up fiercely and even Kai had to back away a little from fear of getting burnt. He knew that Dranzer's mystical fire wouldn't hurt him, but it had been so long since she had called upon the power that he was not used to the heat.

After letting out another screech, Dranzer flew vertical. Hovering above them, a melodic song filled the air as she began to sing the song of the Phoenixes. Drops of liquid looking fire began to fall from the ceiling, hitting the floor with small splashes. As the fire drops merge into the ground, fire sprung up from beneath the floor. A ring of fire surrounded Iris and Kai could see the look of fear passing across her face.

Gasping for breath, Kai backed away a bit from the flames that were surrounding Iris. The heat being produced from the magical fire didn't faze him, but something was tugging at the back of his mind. He needed to find everyone else and get them all out. Kai also knew that once the initial shock of being surrounded by flames died off, Iris would realise that although the flames were extremely hot, they would not burn her. Dranzer was not someone who would intentionally hurt another mystical beat or human being; even if that person had been harming her master, she would not harm them.

"Dranzer!" Kai called out. He then closed his eyes and sent a plea out to another of his close companions, hoping that she would answer. "Black Dranzer! Rise, now!"

His voice carried throughout the stadium and a loud screech was the answer to his call. Only moments later, a black light shone from within his beyblade and a dark phoenix ascended upwards, her black feathers accentuated by her twin's red flames. The black phoenix called out again and sinister black flames erupted from the ground, intertwining with the red flames in a deadly dance.

Iris' face lost all colour as the twin phoenixes circled above her head. Her blue eyes were wide in fight and the silver knife had long been dropped. The BIOVOLT employee was trembling as she raised her hands to cover her mouth as a terrified scream left her lips. Crystalline tears dropped from her eyes and made trails down her pale cheeks that glistened in the light from the flames.

A pang of guilt raced through Kai as he watched Iris tremble and shake. She was petrified and was not holding back her emotions. Kai was about to call back Dranzer and Black Dranzer when she dropped her hands and called out to him.

"You will _not_ get away with this, Kai!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "Voltaire _will_ get you! You have my word on that." The last words in the sentence were whispered and Kai had to strain to hear them. He closed his mouth and shot her an angry look before turning around, about to walk off and find the missing bladers. in.

"You're wrong there, Iris," he spoke. His voice was low and cold; there was no trace of emotion in his voice what so ever. "My Grandfather will never get me, he's dead. Remember? Someone planted a bomb in his house and suddenly, no more Voltaire." There was smirk on his lips as he said the last part. Personally, he didn't believe a word he had just said, but he wanted to see what Iris' reaction would be.

"Dead? You really know nothing! Lord Voltaire is anything _but_ dead, boy. He is well and kicking, quite ferociously I might add. He wants you dead, Kai. Nothing is going to stop him from achieving his goal. Not you, not your little friends and certainly not the police."

Growling, Kai decided to ignore Iris' last comment. He sent her a glare and started walking off in the opposite direction. "Whatever, Iris. I'll just leave you here to enjoy the company of my loyal phoenixes. Have fun," he smirked.

There was a wail from behind him and he spun around to see Iris screaming at him to let her go. Tears had welled up in her eyes again and spilled down her cheeks, dropping to the floor with small splashes. Her hands were clasped together in front of her body in a begging position. Kai closed his eyes and grimaced at the sight. Forcing himself to not yell out to Dranzer and Black Dranzer to cease the flames, Kai continued walking out of the room, Iris' pleas echoing in his mind once she was out of earshot.

_Dranzer, Black Dranzer, keep an eye on her and anyone else that may enter the room. Don't let her go, what ever you do._

_:yes, master:_ came the reply from both phoenixes. Smiling to himself, Kai closed the door behind him and locked it.

Suddenly, the exhaustion that was battering his body caught up with him. Exhaling loudly, he leant against the wall for support before he collapsed. Calling upon his phoenixes had drained him more than it should have and he didn't know why. But that wasn't what was bothering him the most. The fact that he somehow recognised Iris from somewhere was baffling him. She looked extremely familiar, he just didn't know where from. Her voice, her mannerisms, her eyes; everything about her was so familiar.

Groaning as a wave of pain assaulted his body, Kai started limping down the corridor he had entered. His hand stayed on the wall for support and he felt his vision wavering as a tremendous headache started to throb in his temples. He rubbed his temples and waited for the worst of the headache to pass. The sate-haired teen knew that he had been hit on the head pretty hard and knew that it was because of the bang that he was being affected badly.

Shaking his head, Kai resumed his walking. He had been more injured than he was now and still managed to carry on, so what was stopping him now?

After a few minutes of stumbling half blind down the hallway, Kai came across another door. He gripped the handle, turned and pushed and was surprised when nothing happened. Someone had locked the door and Kai wanted to know whom it was. He banged on the door a few times to see if that brought any results. He waited and waited and still there was no response.

Rolling his eyes, he realised that if there _were_ anyone in the room, they wouldn't be answering to any random knock on the door. Obviously the headache was affecting him more than he wanted to admit. He knocked again, this time calling out as he did so. "Hey! Is there anyone in there? It's Kai!"

Kai listened as sounds of rushing and hushed voices reached his hearing. He frowned as no one came to the door.

"Kai? Is that really you?"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kai slumped to the ground, his head in his hands. Tala was alive. For that, he was extremely grateful.

"Kai?"

The slate-haired captain realised that he hadn't answered the redhead's question and wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Ever since he had left Iris alone with Dranzer and Black Dranzer, his mind had become foggy and it felt as thought a very think mist had settled over the thinking part of his brain. He couldn't seem to think straight.

"Yeah, Tala. It's me…"

There was a clicking sound ad a moment later, Kai felt himself falling backwards as the door was opened with force.

"Kai!"

Coughing, Kai looked up into a pair of familiar electric blue eyes, pale face and vibrant red hair. Tala was looking at him worriedly and Kai gave him his trademark smirk. "Hey, Tals. How's it going?"

"Kai?"

Suddenly, lots of voices assaulted his ears and Kai gasped as comprehension dawned on him. Tala had hidden with the rest of the captured bladers!

Sitting upright, the slate-haired blader glanced around the room, staring at all of the bladers. Most of them were dirty and covered in a lot of abrasions and bruises. A couple of them even looked as though some of their bones had been broken at some point in time. He put his hand over his mouth as he coughed again. Once more, when he pulled his hand away, it was slicked with blood. The damn internal bleeding didn't look like it was going away for a while. They all needed to get out of the building before anything else happened or someone got even more hurt than they already were.

"What happened, Kai?" Tala asked, his blue eyes roaming over his body, surveying the damage. The Russian redhead hadn't noticed the blood covering his hand and Kai planned for it to stay that way. Taking in a deep breath, Kai started telling everyone what had happened. On the outside his voice was cool and collected, just how he had always been. On the inside was a completely different matter. He was fighting just to stay conscious, his emotions were all over the place, he was relieved that everyone was okay – sort of – and that nothing else bad had happened, yet.

"…So I called out Dranzer and Black Dranzer and they formed a wall of fire around her, stopping her from doing anything or contacting anyone. When I left, she was yelling at me to let her go." Kai finished telling the tale and looked around at everyone in the room. They all wore the same, shocked expression. Kai narrowed his eyes at the expressions on everyone's faces and sent a questioning look Tala's way.

"So Back Dranzer's really back?"

Kai turned to Michael, who had asked the question. Kai shook his head slightly as he understood what the shocked looks were for. They hadn't realised that Black Dranzer had come back for real this time and the fact that she was no longer evil. He knew that they had all seen his battle with Brooklyn when he had revealed Black Dranzer, but he didn't think that they would have thought that Black Dranzer would have just disappeared after that. The Russian blader guessed that they had no idea that it had been Dranzer _and_ Black Dranzer that had saved them when the roof had collapsed on top of them.

"Yeah," he whispered hoarsely, "she's back, for good this time."

"Kai, one question. How in the world did we survive the roof collapsing and how did we end up in this room?"

After coughing, Kai looked at Spencer. The blonde had asked a valid question and Kai had no reason not to tell them. They deserved the truth.

"Dranzer and Black Dranzer saved you. They erected a shield using their powers that stopped any of the roof debris hitting you. I don't know how and why they transported you to this room, though."

"I think I know why," came a quiet voice from the back of the room. Confused, Kai strained to see who was hidden in the shadows. A figure emerged that turned out to be a certain pink-haired Nekojin – Mariah.

"Mariah? What do you mean? What's going on?"

The pink-haired girl stood up and motioned for him to follow her. Kai struggled to his feet and had to be supported as he walked over to where Mariah was standing. She pointed to something in the shadows and Kai gasped as he saw what it was. There was a small opening at the bottom of the wall. It was evident that the gap had been formed when the roof was collapsing. A small amount of sunlight streamed in and Kai found himself longing to be in the sun again. The training stadium had been basked in shadows ever since the first explosions and it had gotten worse when the power had been cut.

"If we manage to dig at this enough, the opening might become big enough for some of us to get out and get help. Johnny's already out there, but I can't be certain whether he managed to find help or not and nobody knows where Miguel is."

Tala nodded and everyone set to work. Kai slumped to the floor and breathed in deeply. The breathing difficulty had come back with vengeance and he knew that if he didn't get serious medical help soon, he wouldn't be breathing for a _very_ long time. He gripped his chest with a hand as pain radiated through his upper body and a hacking cough seized his throat.

A hand was placed on his shoulder as he coughed and Kai stared upwards at Spencer. "Just breathe deeply, Kai. Concentrate on breathing deeply and the pain will go away eventually." Kai did that and the pain started to dissipate.

"Thank you, Spencer," Kai said, his voice low. It wasn't every day that he thanked someone.

Spencer winked. "You're welcome, Kai. I promise I wont tell anyone about it."

Kai laughed a little, which ended up in another coughing fit, but this time he wasn't quick enough to hide the blood that trickled from his mouth and coated his teeth. He heard Spencer's surprised gasp and he closed his eyes, not wanting to see the look on his friend's face. He knew that it would be one of shock, horror, but most of all, desperation; desperation to get him out of the building and immediate medical help.

"Spencer…I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you tell anyone, Kai? This is serious. You could _die_, Kai!" The words were spoken forcefully, but hushed. Spencer was respecting the fact that he didn't want anyone finding out about his 'condition.'

Glancing over to where everyone was working on making the hole in the wall bigger, Kai noticed that the light coming from the hole was now dimmer than what it had been a few minutes before. It meant that it was either getting cloudy and overcast, or night was upon them. Kai begged that it wasn't the latter; as it would get colder then and he didn't know if he could last a night in the cold.

He felt his eyes drop slightly as sleep tried to take over his body. His mind was definitely on the way to the land of unconsciousness. He didn't want to fall asleep. The slate-haired blader knew the dangers of falling asleep in conditions like the one he was in. The knock to his head and the internal bleeding meant that if he fell asleep now, he might never wake up again.

"Spencer?"

"Yeah, Kai?" came the hushed reply.

"I need you to make sure that I don't fall asleep, no matter what. I've had a knock to the head and have internal bleeding. If I fall asleep, there is a high possibility that I will never wake up again…" the words were dark and somber, but they were the truth. Kai didn't want to lie to anyone excessively and Spencer was someone that he could trust to keep secrets, secrets. If he told Tala about all the injuries he had sustained and what they could do to him, the redhead would lose it. He would freak out and wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but him.

Then again, telling Tala could make their escape faster as he would be working harder to get him out alive, but Kai didn't want to do that. Putting a lot of pressure on his best friend was something that he despised doing. It was bad enough that Spencer knew about it. Spencer knew the most medical knowledge and Kai was grateful for that.

He groaned as his headache got worse. Rubbing his temples, Kai leant back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to rid his mind of the pain assaulting his body. Pretty much all of his body hurt because of numerous wounds littered across his skin. There were even a few bad sprains and at least three bruised bones. His head was the worst though and Kai couldn't even remembered when he would have knocked his head so hard to give him the troubles he was experiencing.

_Maybe it was when I was unconscious and when Spencer was carrying me. Maybe he wasn't careful enough?_

Shaking his head to try and rid the pain, Kai only succeeded in making it worse. The headache had now turned into a full-blown migraine. It felt as though someone was pounding nine-inch nails into his head with great force.

"Hey, Tala! The hole's almost big enough for someone small to get through!" Kai opened his eyes at the remark and stared at Lee, who had said it. True enough, the hole had been enlarged significantly and a smaller person would be able to fit through it. Kai's crimson orbs darted around the room, trying to pick out someone that would be small enough to fit through the hole. His search stopped on Ian, probably the smallest in the group.

"Ian," he croaked out. "Do you think you would be able to fit through?"

The small Russian boy cocked his head to the side and walked up to the hole. He crouched down in front of it. He stuck his head out the hole and tried wriggling his body though, to no avail. The hole was still too small for even Ian to fit through. There was a collective sigh of disappointment and Kai glared at the group. It looked as though they had given up already.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" His voice was weak and hoarse, but still held the power that he was renowned for. "Are you giving up? Because if you are, then you are not worthy to live." The words were harsh and brutal, but they were just the thing that was needed to get them going again. No one asked why he was not helping and for that, he was grateful. He really didn't want to explain his current condition to them all.

The trapped bladers started working at the ever-widening hole again when a sudden thought raced through Kai's brain. He felt so foolish. Why hadn't he thought of it before? They had wasted precious time digging a hole in the wall when they could have just walked out of the place hours before hand!

"Guys…" Everyone turned to stare at him and Kai the bemused expressions flitting across their features. "I should have thought of this sooner, sorry…but there's another way out. It's the door that Johnny used to get out. It's on the other side of the main training room and is free of debris."

He waited and saw the emotions that passed through their faces. Kai could see shock, happiness, anger, frustration and even a little desperation.

"I'm really sorry, guys…"

"It's okay, Kai. You're hurt, you wouldn't have been thinking straight. It's okay, really." Tala spoke the words, but everyone nodded at the statement. Suddenly, there was a loud shout from the back of the room.

Kai sat up straighter to see what was going on and his crimson eyes widened in shock. Ian was standing _outside_ the building!

"I-Ian?"

The small Russian boy grinned and poked out his tongue. "I told you guys that being short and small had its advantages!" he sobered up a little and continued speaking. "Do you want me to help make the hole bigger or go and get some help. I think I see some people in the distance!"

Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ian was out and he could see people in the distance…

He was about to speak when Tala beat him to it. The redhead grinned a very un-Tala grin, his blue eyes flashing. "Go, Ian! Get help! We'll make the hole bigger, you just go find some help!"

Ian ran off and Kai slumped back down again as another coughing fit hit him. His eyes started to close when there was a loud screech of pain. Kai shot up right, his eyes wide in fear.

_Dranzer…_

He got Spencer to help him stand just as the door was flung open and a very furious Iris Johansson strode into the room, the silver knife clenched in her right hand. He blue eyes were shining with malice and intense hatred directed at himself. Kai swayed a little as Spencer pulled him behind himself and the slate-haired captain coughed, small amounts of blood flecking into his hand.

"Kai Alexander Hiwatari…you will _pay_ for what you have done. Lord Voltaire will get his vengeance when I send him your cold, lifeless body on a silver platter."

Kai shivered slightly at her words. They were full of promise and Kai didn't doubt that in the state Iris was in, she would be able to do it too.

Then something happened that shocked him to the core even more than what Iris' words had. He stared over at his best friend, who was gazing, open mouthed, at the woman brandishing the knife. Recognition gleamed in his eyes at her and a single tear dropped from his eye and rolled down his cheek.

The Russian teen took a step forward before reaching out with one hand to reach towards Iris. Kai had no idea what Tala was doing, but there was a funny feeling in his gut that spelled trouble. Something bad was going to happen that would change at least one of their lives forever.

Tala stopped short of the woman and clenched his hand back into a fist, trembling slightly.

The one word that came from Tala's mouth hit Kai like a bolt of freezing cold lightning and froze him to the spot. His headache was forgotten, along with every stab of pain, even the outside world had disappeared into a forgotten void inside his head. The raw emotion that poured out of the word stunned Kai. The grief and sadness, but most of all the hurt and disbelief were all present.

Tala stood completely still as the word that changed his life spilled out fro between his lips. A word he thought he never would have spoken directly to another person in his life. It was a word he hadn't spoken for many, many years. It was a word that he was surprised he could still remember how to say it. As the single tear dropped from his cheek onto the floor, Tala Ivanov spoke…

_"…Mum?"_

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**END!**

**Sorry I'm so sorry to leave another cliffhanger! Actually I'm not, but hey, I'm evil…mwha ha ha ha! Please don't kill me! ducks random flying objects I will try update ASAP. **

**Please review!**

**See yaz all later!**

**_DancerInTheDark101_**

**P.S – OMG, I have to tell SOMEONE this! In December I'm going to NZ's one and only **_**MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE**_** concert!!!!!!!!!! I'm SO excited! Gerard Way is SOOOO hott!!!!!!!!! Sorry, I had to tell someone that lol. **

**Byez!**


	16. Hidden Tears

**Hay there everyone! So sorry for the long delay! I've been busy with school and work and other problems and not mention the MASSIVE writers block! So sorry! I'm also sorry about the length. Its not the longest chapter…**

**And to Mel, I'm still working on that sequel! Sorry! **

**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED LAST CHAPTER! I got my best response so far! 13 reviews! Thank you! OMG, over 150 reviews!! THANK YOU!**

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A special thanks to…

XXUrbanRegalityXx – thanks so much for the review! Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments! To be honest, when I started writing this fic, I had no idea where it was going either…I still don't! lol

d1bontemp – whoo! Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy!

Inner Dragon – they are tears of happiness…right? 0.o So sorry for not updating sooner. Glad you liked. Here is the next chapter. You're a MCR fan? WHOO!!! Gerard is SO hott! I'm so happy that I'm going! I'll be sure to email you some pix from the concert!

FlyingShadow666 – his mum? Yep! Or maybe not…you never know with me lol. There's a few twists in this chapter. Hope you like.

kavbj – yeah I'll have fun at the concert! Unfortunately, it's not until DECEMBER! – cries – Yeah, I live in the South Island in a place called Nelson. Which is at the top of the Island. Hope you did well in your test! Thanks for the wonderful comments! Hope this chapter is okay

UNpReDiCtAbLE lIfE – you liked the chappie then? WHOO! Did I change her eye colour? I can't remember if I did or not lol. Thanks for the comments and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

FlamingIce94 – thanks for the wonderful comments! The best chapter ever? Thank you! Yes, poor Kai. Unfortunately, it isn't over yet for him! They might make it out…they might not…

Keight Ylonen – hey there! Thanks for the wonderful comments! It was good to hear from you again! Sorry it took so long to update, school had been a bitch again lol. Hope you enjoy this chappie!

n-zelda-n – you knew? WELL DONE FOR GUESSING! –gives _n-zelda-n_ a cookie. Hehe, but I may have changed my mind on my theory…just a little! About his second name: no I didn't. I've read it in a lot of fanfics and I read somewhere that his official second name was either 'Alexander' or 'Daemon' I cant remember for the life of me where though 0.o Thanks for reviewing!

Elemental Gypsy – hey there! There's some Miguel in here, just for you! Hehe, hint for you –whispers in EG's ear – you may still be able to kill her yet…you may just want to after this chapter…psssst, don't tell! Lol. Thanks for reviewing!

Destiny Quill – it's okay that you took a while to review. I don't mind! You may give me some of that tea that you mentioned because I am so sorry that I didn't update earlier!!! I'm not quite sure how the hell I cam up with this chapter, but I just _had_ to update. I felt bad for not updating. Hopefully it's okay.

apple.starz – hey! One of the best stories you've ever read? Omg, thank you! I feel so flattered! A beautiful story? Wow, thanks so much! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Maria-Lilly – screaming? Is it a good thing? Lol. Nfld? Where's that, just for interest's sake? Thanks for reviewing. Hope you enjoy this chappie.

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**_DancerInTheDark101_**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 16: Hidden Tears**

Miguel lay in bed, watching the quietened television set, his eyes watering ever so slightly. The TV was showing footage of the now completely destroyed BBA training stadium. Smoke billowed from pretty much every part of the building and a lone tear escaped from a blue eye as he realised that Kai and every other blader in the training stadium was dead. The camera moved from focusing on the destroyed building to a group of people huddled together, tears visible on their pale faces. Miguel recognised them immediately and wondered how they were feeling. Moments later he saw the expressions on their faces and he didn't have to wonder anymore.

The faces of the world champion team were heart shattering and Miguel found himself looking away from the silver box that was the TV. Even Tyson's normally tanned face was pale with grief, his dark blue eyes rimmed with red and sparkling tears trailing from them. A blonde-haired Max was hugging his best friend tightly, his shoulder shaking with the sobs taking over his form. The raven-haired Rei was standing next to Tyson, an arm around his shoulders. His golden orbs too, were rimmed with an awful red, symbolising the fact that he had been crying. His eyes were glazed slightly. It seemed as though he was staring at the building, but not really looking at anything. He was trapped within his own mind.

Why did this have to happen? Why did all the good people have to die? 

Struggling to come to terms with their deaths, Miguel screwed his eyes shut and let the tears come. He knew that he would not be the only one unable to stop the dreaded drops of water from falling. All around the world people would be sharing their grief with one another.

As he lay in bed, a breathing mask over his face, the blonde Spaniard watched as Tyson, Rei and Max collapsed onto the ground, tears running feely again. A figure walked onto the screen and it looked as though she was going to comfort them, when she stopped and withdrew her hand. Miguel knew what the woman would have been thinking. She wanted to comfort the mourning bladers, but felt that she would have been intruding on their time reflecting about their deceased friends.

Deceased… 

The word hit hard and Miguel and he was about to switch the TV off when the reporter shouted out something. He whipped his eyes back round to the TV and saw a distressed Johnny McGregor running out from behind the collapsed building. Miguel felt his eyes widen in shock. Not all of the bladers were dead…Johnny was alive, so did that mean that the others might not be dead too? A surge of hope rose in his being and Miguel struggled to sit up in the hospital bed. He reached for the remote and turned up the volume. Frantic words reached his ears immediately.

"_Oh my God. A blader by the name of Johnny McGregor has just run out from behind the collapsed BBA building!" _The camera showed Johnny running towards G Revolution and the reporter also running towards the crying team. Johnny and the woman reporter reached the team at the same time. Johnny's red hair was dishevelled and there were cuts and bruises littered across his body. A particularly nasty bruise covered the whole right side of his face and Miguel knew that it must have been hurting, badly.

"Johnny McGregor? What's going on? How did you make it out? You were thought to be dead!"

"_Shut up!"_ Johnny yelled and Miguel gaped. The Scot's eyes were filled with fury and hatred, something that no one had expected to be there. _"Just shut up and listen! Kai and the others are still trapped inside! When I left Kai was looking for the others, we got separated when the building started to collapse after Kai's battle with Brooklyn – You should have seen it! It was wicked when Dranzer and Black Dranzer showed up and did some new attack thingy!"_ Johnny was getting very sidetracked and only stopped talking about random stuff when Tyson slapped him across the face. The look on Johnny's face was of surprise and shock, which turned into guilt when he obviously realised what he had been doing.

"_Johnny? What did you say 'bout Kai and the others?" _Tyson's voice was laced with hope and Miguel found himself leaning in closer towards the TV, hoping that the redhead would say that everyone was okay…

"_Huh? Oh, right! When I got out, Kai told me that he was going back in to look for Tala and the others and tell you guys that he was okay!"_ He then turned to Rei, who was staring at the Scot with hope-filled eyes. _"He also told me to tell Rei that Mariah's just fine." _Miguel smiled as Rei's golden eyes lit up with happiness and the Nekojin launched himself at Johnny and hugged the startled blader.

"_Thank you! Mariah's okay! Oh God, I thought she was dead…" _Rei burst out in tears again and slumped to the ground, his head in his hands. Johnny looked at the crying blader and suddenly found himself embraced by two other pairs of arms. Tyson and Max were both crying and Miguel felt tears of happiness slip from his eyes. According to Johnny, Kai was okay…

"Kai's okay!" 

"_I didn't say that…"_

Miguel felt the world start to close in around him when the words escaped Johnny's mouth. Was the Scot saying that Kai _wasn't _okay? What the hell was going on!?

"_Just before I left, Kai couldn't breathe…he got seriously hurt in his battle with Brooklyn and the wounds from the helicopter crash haven't healed properly. If he doesn't get medical help soon, he's going to die! Goddamn it, he __**is**__dying!"_

Those last few words were like someone had plunged the whole world into a pool of frozen darkness. Miguel didn't know what to do. Did Johnny just say that Kai was _dying_? "Oh god, no…Not Kai…anyone but Kai!"

The fact that his crush was apparently _dying_ hit the Spaniard hard. He threw the TV remote across the room and it smashed into the wall, sending pieces of plastic clattering over the floor. The batteries hit the floor with clangs. The noise was so sudden that doctors and nurses came running into the room, worried expressions plastered across their features. They saw the TV on and the broadcast that was airing and the worry turned into pity and sorrow. Miguel glared at them and clenched his fists.

"Go away! Can't you see that I just want to be left alone! Fuck off!" He instantly regretted saying the words, but there was nothing he could do to take them back. He expected the doctors and nurses to be angry with him and was surprised when all they did was smile sadly, walking out of the room at the same time. Miguel hung his head as Kai's image ran through his mind.

Kai's slate hair that never seemed to be in order, his crimson eyes that pierced even the toughest barriers, his pale face that never showed any emotion, the blue tattoos that decorated his cheeks, his lithe, muscular build…everything about the stoic captain flashed through his mind and tears dropped through his fingers onto the sheets. He sobbed silently, his frame shaking with every heave. Johnny _had_ to be lying. Kai…if Kai was dying…what was going to happen? It was too much for him to handle.

Miguel knew that if he told anyone that he was in love with the Russian teen, he would most probably be called a freak and his life would never be the same again, but he couldn't help wondering what Kai would say if he knew about his love for him. Would Kai reject him and treat him as a freak, or would he understand, but say no? The Spaniard knew that Kai wasn't gay. The teen had no interest in either girlfriends _or_ boyfriends. He had stated that plainly once, Miguel had just forgotten about it. The only person who knew about his fascination with the slate-haired teen was Bryan…and he was gone…

Looking back up at the TV, Miguel saw that Tyson, Max and Rei were all staring at the BBA training building with something that looked like determination.

"The remaining members of G Revolution, along with Johnny McGregor are about to go into the highly unstable building, in an attempt to search for their missing friends. Johnny's words that everyone was okay, but Kai Hiwatari is in serious need of medical attention has obviously given the friends more determination and even after professionals have tried to persuade them not to go in, they are not listening."

"_We are going to find Kai and the others and get them all out!" _Tyson's voice was filled with such finality that Miguel found himself believing the Japanese blader. A small smile found its way onto his face and Miguel laughed, as Tyson stood tall and boasted to the world that he was going to get them all out in one piece.

"…_unless Dragoon cuts them all into little pieces for worrying us so much first!"_ That got a lot of laughs from everyone around Tyson and Miguel laughed along. Tyson – though as annoying as he was – had a very positive attitude and it was very infectious.

Rei spoke up next. His voice was quiet and filled with emotion. _"If you guys can hear me, we're gonna get you all out, I promise. Mariah? Please be okay…I love you…"_

Miguel wished that he could be as brave as Rei and tell his love that he loved him. But he was afraid being ridiculed for what he was. All he wanted was for Kai to know of his feelings, know that someone _did_ love him and want to care for him. He just wanted Kai to know…

Please don't let it be too late. Please let Kai be okay…please. Kai, I'm sorry I never told you how much I love you. Please, just hang on a bit longer. Everyone misses you, Kai. Just hang on. They're coming to get you.

* * *

Kai watched as Iris Johansson and his best friend stared at each other, their eyes locked, faces emotionless. Kai couldn't help but wonder if that was how everyone saw him – emotionless, with no facial expressions what so ever. Suddenly, a flash of something crossed Iris' face. Spencer's grip tightened on his arm as he went to lunge at the woman and he felt himself being restrained.

Turning to the blonde, Kai hissed. "_Let me kill her!_"

Spencer shook his head and Kai growled deep in his throat. He was surprised when neither Tala nor Iris had looked his way when he had started struggling. It was as though they could only see or hear each other. Everyone else in the room was like dark shapes to them, nothing but shadows on the walls.

"You think I'm your mother?" Kai stopped struggling as Iris spoke to Tala. Her voice was cold, cool and carried no emotion. Tala nodded his head ever so slightly, his red bangs falling over his ice-blue eyes, shadowing them from view.

Suddenly, Iris started laughing. Her laugh seemed loud in the room, breaking the uncomfortable silence and making it worse. When she calmed down a little, she stared at Tala, her eyes gleaming with amusement and something that looked like insanity. Lights danced in their depths and Kai felt himself getting dizzy from staring into them for too long.

"Your mother?" she spoke, incredulous. "Your _mother?_ I would never want to be anything _like_ that bitch! Let alone, _be_ her!"

The hurt in Tala's eyes made the anger well up in him again and Kai tried to wrestle out of Spencer's tough grip. The burly teen's grip didn't give way at all and Kai felt his arm start to hurt from where he was pulling. He definitely was going to bruise there.

"Your mother was a whore and deserved the death that was dealt to her! She took off with your father and the only reason they got married was because she got knocked up with you! They probably never would have looked each other's way again if she hadn't found out that her little _one night stand_ had got her pregnant with her good-looking fling. You were a mistake and they were a mistake. However, their _deaths_ were no mistake. Voltaire was planning to kill you too, but when your father took off with you, he changed his mind and decided to keep you and kill the idiot. I am anyone _but _your whore of a mother!"

The words were very harsh. Kai didn't know how his best friend just stood there and took all the terrible words about his parents. Kai felt like killing Iris for what she had just said.

Kai's murderous thoughts stopped dead in their tracks when Tala spoke. There was a hint of hurt in his voice, but other than that, it was emotionless. "If you're not my mother, then who are you?"

Iris rolled her eyes, her lips twisting upwards in a hideous smirk at the same time. "I'm your whore of a mother's twin sister…"

Shocked, Kai couldn't do anything but stare at Iris. The woman was Tala's _aunty_? He didn't even know that Tala's mother had a sister and he had been around at the redhead's house many times in his youth. In his mind's eye, Kai tried to conjure up an image of a visiting woman who looked like the woman standing before him. Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind like lightning. He stared at Iris Johansson, understanding of whom she really was dawning on him.

_flashback_

_A young red-haired boy ran around in circles with another young boy chasing him, their squeals of delight ringing out through the large house. A red-haired woman sat in a large, plush chair as she watched her son and his best friend run around like crazy. They hadn't seen each other in a few weeks as Kai had been on a holiday with his parents. It was the first time since the slate-haired boy had got back that the two had played together. _

_Smiling, she watched as her son tackled Kai to the ground and they both fell, giggling. Kai's normally pale face was flushed from the running around after Tala and Tala's blue eyes were watering, signalling the tears of happiness that were about to spill from them. _

_Kai looked at his best friend as his eyes started to water and small drops of a crystalline liquid snaked down his pale face. Concerned, the boy jumped up and hugged the redhead. "Tal? Are you okay? I didn't hurt you…did I?"_

_The smaller boy shook his head, the tears still escaping and running free. "No, you wouldn't _ever_ hurt me, Kai!" Tala shook his head vehemently. "I'm just happy that you're back!" he exclaimed. _

_Smiling again, Kai giggled and tackled the boy, when there was a loud bang on the lounge door. Shouts echoed through the large wooden door and the woman sitting in the chair got up, a concerned expression marring her beautiful features. _

"_Get out!" came a loud, demanding voice. More feminine shouts sounded from behind the door and the two boys stopped their playing to watch as Tala's mother almost glided up to the door and opened it slightly. The shouts became louder as the barrier between them was penetrated. Tala and Kai silently crawled over to the door and poked their head's through the crack. _

_Tala's father and an unknown woman were arguing. Tala's father was gesturing about something with his hands and the woman was shouting back. The rage on her face was unmistakeable and her eyes were wide with fury. In a fit of anger, the woman screamed at Tala's father and slapped him around the face. He stumbled back, clutching his rapidly swelling cheek. _

_Tala screamed and ran out of his hiding place, gripping his father's trouser pants. Small tears were making their way down his face and to stop the tears from falling any further, the small boy buried his face in his father's legs. "Stop it!" he yelled, his voice muffled by the fabric. All three adults stared at the crying boy for a while before his mother glared at the other woman, her eyes blazing with an icy fire. _

"_Leave," she demanded. "Now!" _

_The other woman flinched visibly at her harsh words. A snarl reached her lips and a moment later, she was storming towards the front door. Before she slammed the door, the woman turned back to look at Mikalya Ivanov. "Don't you worry, dear sister. I never go back on a promise and I'm sure your darling husband will tell you what I promised this time. Mikalya, Nikolai, Tala and Kai…goodbye"_

"_Rissa! Wait!" screamed Mikalya. "What do you want with my family? Why are you doing this?" she was almost hysterical as her twin sister slammed the door in her face. Turning to her husband, she cried into her shirt, clutching her son's hand as she did. A small whimper caught her hearing and the red-haired woman looked up from her husband's chest to see a boy with slate hair and big crimson eyes staring up at her, his eyes watering. _

"_What's going on? Why is she so mean?" The innocence in his voice almost sent Mikalya back into tears. Then she looked at her young son. Both of them were so innocent, their lives not yet tainted by the horrors of the world. She wished that they would never be tainted, but deep down she knew that someone or something in their later lives would soil them. _

_Whilst her son had her twisted twin sister, Tala's young friend, Kai had his grandfather. Voltaire Hiwatari was the malicious owner and founder of Hiwatari Enterprises and the shadowy behind-the-scenes corporation that was called BIOVOLT. _

_Mikalya didn't know what BIOVOLT stood for or what it was actually for, but she did know that it wasn't legitimate as Kai's mother had told her numerous times. Both her and Kai's father were very afraid for their son. Voltaire had told them many, many times that Kai was going to be his greatest soldier for BIOVOLT. Numerous times Kai had stayed at their place for the night because they were afraid for his safety. It was tragic what was happening to the family. They were a very beautiful family; with Kai inheriting his mother's model looks and his father's masculinity. He was going to be a real heartbreaker when he was older. Mikalya just hoped that he would be able to live the life that was meant for him, not the life that his psychotic grandfather wanted. _

"_Mummy?" _

_Looking down, Mikalya saw the frightened look in her son's eyes. She hugged him fiercely and then motioned for Kai to come over. His bottom lip trembled a little before running over and burying his face in her blouse. Tala started crying as well and the four of them slumped to the floor, tears snaking down their faces and dropping to the floor with small splashes. _

_end flashback_

He remembered…that day had been one of the worst experiences of his life. He had always thought of Tala's family perfect, with no evil relatives or such. That day he was proved horribly wrong. It had made him think of his grandfather, whom had always scared him a little. Back then; he hadn't known about how evil his grandfather really was. It was only until his parents died did he understand the full picture.

A voice caught his attention and Kai turned to see everyone staring at him strangely. His eyes narrowed in annoyance. "What?" he glared as he growled the words. Mariah took a step back in fear and Kai realised what he was doing. He was making himself out to be the 'bad guy' instead of Iris. Smirking, the Russian teen realised what he could do to make Iris afraid or at the least, shocked.

Turning to her, he gave her his trademark smirk. "Hello, Rissa."

Everyone turned to him, shock written across their faces. They had no idea what was going on, but the look on Tala's face said that he did know. They shared a look and Tala's ice blue eyes enlarged significantly at the new discovery; the day that Rissa Ivanov had promised Tala's parents' deaths…

"What?" she stammered. "How…why…when?"

His voice was cold and held no emotion as he spoke: "Just now, _Rissa Ivanov_. I remember the day that you made that _promise_ to Tala and his family. I remember it _very_ clearly. And by the look on Tala's face, I reckon he does too."

"What promise—oh yeah, now I remember. The promise that I told your dear old daddy…" Iris was now talking to Tala and Kai kept a close eye on his best friend, although his vision seemed to be wavering ever so slightly as time wore on. He just hoped that Ian would return soon and they could all escape. He shook his head to rid himself of the dots that were dancing across his vision, but it didn't work. Ignoring them, Kai clenched his fists, ready to defend Tala if anything went wrong.

"Oh, I did have some fun watching him run off with you while your mother was left, abandoned on the floor," she sneered, never taking her cold blue eyes off the red head. "To this day, do you know what killed your mother, Tala?" The words were not spoken softly with concern that they normally would have, but with harsh, cold glee.

Tala shook his head slowly as a gasp emitted from the other bladers in the room who had been standing as still as statues throughout the whole exchange.

"I enjoyed killing my whore of a sister," Iris boasted. Kai felt like being sick as she explained what she had done to her _twin sister_ of all people.

_flashback_

"_Rissa? What are you doing here? Get out!" Mikalya's voice was stern and filled with hate. "Stay away from my family, you monster!"_

_Rissa just smiled sadly, her eyes downcast. "I…I'm sorry, Kalya. Those things I said a couple of weeks ago…I didn't mean them, I swear!" She looked up and Mikalya was surprised to see tears trailing down her sister's cheeks. Her eyes were rimmed with red and she was sniffing, trying to hold back the tears that were escaping. _

_As she watched her sister cry and apologise profusely, Mikalya couldn't help but feel a hint of fear shoot through her as he remembered that her young son was upstairs asleep and her husband was currently out running some errands. Then Rissa broke down into a heap on the floor. Her face was in her hands and tears dripped to the carpeted floor. _

"_Come on, Rissa. It's okay. I forgive you." She knew that she was being completely unreasonable, but deep down she knew that her sister was feeling really bad for what she had said, so she decided to forgive her. She was her twin sister after all. _

"_Really?" Rissa's tone was that of disbelief and her eyes had widened in shock. Mikalya nodded and embraced her sister. They stayed like that for at least five minutes while Rissa cried all the pain and hurt out of her system. Rissa then leant back and wiped a red sleeve across her eyes, drying the tears. _

"_You want a coffee or something, 'Kalya?"_

_Mikalya nodded and got up, straightening her skirt. She wandered over to the living room and sat down on the couch. As the Russian mother waited for her sister to arrive with her drink, she caught sight of a photo. The photo was of her, Nikolai and her young Tala. They were all smiling broadly and Tala was perched on top of his father's shoulders. Nikolai's hair was so wild that all you could see of Tala was his bright red hair sticking out against his father's brown hair and his bright blue eyes peeking though strands of hair. Smiling at the memories, Mikalya sighed and leant back into the comfortable material of the couch. _

Moments later, her sister came out with her coffee. Smiling, she took a sip and frowned. The coffee tasted different to how she normally had it. Shrugging it off to the fact that her sister didn't know quite how to make coffee how she liked it, Mikalya turned to Rissa and stopped dead in her tracks.

_Her sister's face was twisted in an evil grin that reached her eyes. Shuddering as a cold feeling washed over her, Mikalya backed away from Rissa. The glint that had been present when she had promised something a few weeks before was back and it was scarier than before. In one moment, Mikalya Ivanov realised that her sister was trying to kill her and her mind immediately jumped to what would happen to her darling Tala, who was currently sleeping upstairs. _

"_Why are you doing this? Why do you hate me so?" When there was no response, she lost it. "Tell me why you want me gone! Tell me why you want your nephew to grow up with no mother! Tell me!"_

_An evil look took over Rissa and a second later, she had whipped out a large syringe filled with a clear substance. Eyes widening, Mikalya scampered backwards as Rissa approached with the needle. She was going to make it look like a suicide…_

_Mikalya Ivanov let out a scream of anguish as the needle plunged into her forearm. The cold liquid started to seep into her veins. Her breathing hitched and she started shivering. What ever Rissa had injected into her was working fast. Tala…_

_Her baby boy's image ran through her mind. Her thoughts were becoming jumbled and she couldn't think straight anymore. A flurry of memories rushed at her full force and she felt a tear slip from a blue eye as she realised that she was going to die and she wasn't going to be able to say goodbye to her love and her baby boy._

_Tala's third birthday…her and Nikolai's wedding…the day she found out that she was pregnant…her mother's funeral…the day her best friend gave birth to Kai…all the days that Kai and Tala would play together…Tala's first friend's birthday party…the day Nikolai gave Tala his first beyblade…when Tala received Wolborg…_

_All the things that she would miss also came to her at a startling speed. _

_Tala's future birthdays…his big beyblade battles…his wedding…the day his girlfriend or wife gave birth to her grandchildren…meeting all his new friends…first day of school…graduation…_

_Weeping silently, she heard Rissa laugh and came to the conclusion that she had been speaking aloud about all the things that she would miss. She felt a presence next to her and Rissa's sickly sweet voice whispered in her ear. _

"_When you and Nikolai are gone, Voltaire is going to kill off your precious Tala's best friend's parents…then he's going to take that little runt Kai and your precious little boy…"_

_Just as she was about to send a nasty retort back to her sister, her breathing hitched again and she found that she couldn't breathe anymore. The photo she had been holding of her, Nikolai and Tala slipped from her grasp. The smiles from her family looked back up at her and she found herself thinking about how fake her smile had been. Even back then she knew that she wouldn't live her full life…_

_A picture holds one thousand words…but a smile hides one million tears…_

_Dots danced across her vision and began to grow bigger by the second. The Russian woman struggled to keep her eyes open, knowing that once they were closed, she was not coming back. _

_The temptation of sleep was too much for her to fight and as her eyes slipped closed, she smiled one last time. A single tear snaked down her startling pale cheek and one word escaped her lips before she breathed her last breath._

"_Tala…"_

_end flashback_

Iris – now known as Rissa – laughed at the look on Tala's face as she finished her tale. He was seething. Kai shuffled over to his best friend and grabbed his hand, making the boy look him in the eye. Tears were welling up in the Russian's eyes and Kai knew that it wouldn't be long before they spilled over.

"Kai, she _killed_ her!"

"I know I did, honey," came the blunt words from Iris. "That was the whole point. And you—" she pointed at Kai. He narrowed his crimson eyes and clenched his fists. "I was the one who told Voltaire where your parents were and decided how to kill them."

Kai had had enough. He yelled and lunged himself at the unsuspecting woman, grabbing her arm and flinging her to the ground. He heard a grotesque snapping and saw a white sliver of bone poking through Iris' arm. He paid no heed to her screams of pain and punched her in the face with all his might.

Why did she kill my parents as well as Tala's? What the fuck did we do to deserve this!? 

"You bitch!" he screamed, launching another assault at the murderer. He slate-haired captain felt arms wrap around his waist to try and stop him from hurting the woman any more than he already had, but he fought them off.

His crimson eyes ablaze with anger, Kai called out to his most faithful friend. "Dranzer! Arise!"

A loud screech emitted from somewhere and a majestic fire phoenix appeared in a flash of red light. Her eyes were also blazing with anger and a moment later, another flash of light – this time black – ripped through the room. Black Dranzer appeared seconds after the light dissipated and Kai smirked at the look of fear that passed over Iris' face. Sobering up, he screamed at Dranzer.

"Dranzer! Black Dranzer! Death and Rebirth!"

Everyone gasped at the command that Kai had given the twin phoenixes. They had all seen the attack first hand and knew what power it possessed and how much damage it could cause. Kai's eyes were twin pools of blazing pits of blood and he didn't notice the looks of fear that were plastered on the trapped blader's faces. All he wanted to do was destroy the woman who had destroyed his life.

"You are going to pay, Iris!" he screamed. He ordered Black Dranzer to attack and he frowned when the dark phoenix didn't respond. "Black Dranzer? Attack! Now!" The phoenix didn't budge.

_:Master. This isn't right:_ The dark phoenix's voice was joined by a very familiar voice – Dranzer's.

:Master, please. Even though she may have hurt you, a lot, that doesn't mean that you have the right to do this to her. Please, Kai…don't do this:

He gasped and groaned in pain as he realised what he was about to do. Calling back his bitbeasts, Kai slumped to the floor. His head was on fire and his vision was wavering in and out of focus. He didn't know how much longer he could hold on for.

Everyone was in a state: Tala was close to collapsing from blood loss; Iris was in shock, curled up in a ball with her eyes wide; dark rings were visible under everyone's eyes. Kai coughed and once again, small flecks of blood dripped from his mouth. If Ian didn't arrive within the next five minutes, he would be joining his parents very, very soon.

"Kai! Hold on!" Voices were calling out to him, telling him to stay awake, not to give up. He tried so hard to hold on, but he was so tired. He felt Dranzer's warm feathers brush up against his body and his eyes drifted close. As he fell into unconsciousness, he swore he heard Tyson and Rei's voices calling out from somewhere…

**

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**

Rei charged through the corridors, fear burning in his veins. Johnny had said that Kai was badly injured and that he didn't have long to live…if they didn't hurry and find them, Kaiw wouldn't survive.

"Kai! Tala! Mariah!" the Nekojin called out. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling back. It was female and he recognised the voice as soon as he heard it.

"MARIAH!"

Rei picked up his speed, leaving Tyson panting and trying to catch up. As he ran, Rei surveyed the damage that had been left from Kai's battle with Brooklyn – which he would have to ask about later – Boris and his BIOVOLT associates…

Where are the BIOVOLT soldiers? Did they get out or if they are still in here, where are they?

"Rei! We're in here!"

Gasping for breath, Rei followed Mariah's voice. He came across a door and pushed it open to reveal a room full of the suspected dead bladers…Kai and Tala included. Smiling, Rei shouted in happiness only to receive a room full of shocked looks. Frowning, he wondered what was going on until he felt the cold steel of a gun being placed against his head…

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**END!**

**Please help me! I have got a MASSIVE writers block at the moment! I have no idea what to write! So if you have ANY (and I mean ANY) ideas, please HELP!!!!**

**Once again, I am very sorry for the length. I just couldn't make myself write any more! **

**Anyways, thanks to everyone who has supported me and this fic so far. It means a lot **

**Till next time! (which hopefully won't be as long!)**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_


	17. Power Over Life and Death

**Hey there everyone! So sorry for the almost three week wait! I've been really busy with school and work and the new 10 o'clock computer-off time apart from Fridays and Saturdays. –stupid parents- Anyways, here is chapter 17 of IFOF. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I got 14 last chapter! THANKS! BTW, I wrote this chapter in THREE hours! My record! Lol.**

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A special thanks to…

apple.starz – thanks for reviewing! Wow, 18 is the driving age? In New Zealand, you can get your driver's licence at 15! Thanks so much for all the nice comments and I hope you like this chapter! PS – I am so jealous! You got to see Lauri LIVE IN CONCERT!!! I am like, in LOVE with him lol.

FlamingIce94 – thanks so much! Your review was one of the ones that made me write this chapter in under three hours!!!! That quote, no I didn't make it up, but I absolutely love it and I now use it quite a bit. Thanks again. Hope you enjoy!

Maria-Lilly – yay! Good screaming! Good screaming is always good lol. Yeah Rissa _is_ evi. But maybe, just maybe, there is some justice in this chapter? Thanks for reviewing!

BloodRedViolet (chap 15) – glad you liked! Thanks for reviewing. Hope you like this chapter.

XXUrbanRegalityXx – hmmm…kill off Rei? The thought has passed through my mind. You'll just have to read and find out! Hehe. Thanks so much for all the nice comments you wrote. It's really nice to hear that people like your writing so much. THANK YOU! I am proud of what I have done and your review made me all warm and happy inside! Hoep you enjoy this chappie.

kavbj – hey there! I finally updated, just like I said I would! Thanks for the review! Kavbj + review happiness!!! Lol. Hopefully this chapter isn't too bad. Enjoy!

UNpReDiCtAbLE lIfE – thanks so much for the idea! It was really good! I didn't use it, but I may just have to use it another fic or something! Hoe you enjoy this chapter and sorry for the delay. 

Destiny Quill – another long review! Thanks for the lovely comments; I used your idea about the building _finally_ collapsing lol. I was gonna make it collapse…someday 0.o Hehe, your gory and violent thoughts helped me write this chapter! Hope it isn't _too_ bad. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy! Oh and yeah we have school partway through the summer. We start school in January (the start of summer) and end in November/December (the end of spring). It's okay having most of the year in winter, as it's not that cold in Nelson, NZ.

Inner Dragon – thanks for the review and the ideas! Your comments were wonderful! Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

Nameless Little Girl – I'm glad that you loved it! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Elemental Gypsy – I guess that OMG repeated lots of times is good? Lol. Don't worry, I don't like Iris/Rissa either. Hehe, surprise in this chapter. In awe? You? You're like, a BRILLIANT author and you're in awe of MY work? I feel so honoured!!! Hopefully this chapter isn't too bad and thanks for the wonderful comments! Hope you enjoy.

n-zelda-n – yeah I'm still in school. In NZ, we start school in January (start of summer) and end in November/December (end of spring). Thanks for the review and the wicked comments. I hate Iris/Rissa too and I created her! 0.o France? Where do you live? I've never been out of NZ, but I'm going to Australia next year for a marching competition! I'm so excited! Anyways, thanks again and I hope you enjoy!

Golden-Tiger-4-Me – thanks for reviewing! I'm glad that you like it that much! About Bryan…I couldn't find a way to keep him living, so I killed him. I have this thing about killing people off lol. If I wanted to be _really_ mean, I would probably kill off everyone…0.o I'm a gore lover XD Hope you enjoy.

Keight Ylonen – hey! First off, sorry for not emailing for so long! I've been really busy, but I'm working on it! Oh and thanks for reviewing But You Didn't! Sorry I took so long to update. School and work and marching and stupid parents got in the way. –growls- But I've updated now! Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Valenciadarkness – thanks so much for the comments! You review made me all happy inside! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the rest of the fic! Thanks again!

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

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** I**

**Chapter 17: Power Over Life and Death**

Tala stared at the still form of Rei. The Nekojin wasn't moving an inch as the gun slowly made circles around his temple. From where he was standing – leaning against the wall for support – he couldn't see who the gun-wielder was and it was beginning to piss him off. By the way that some of the other bladers in the room looked, he was sure that they could see who it was. He desperately wanted to ask them who it was, but knew that Rei would probably end up dead, on the floor if he did. For now, he was going to stay in the dark.

The red-haired blader looked over his left shoulder to see Spencer shaking an unconscious Kai. The slate-haired teen was extremely pale and his breathing was shallow and irregular. Blood dribbled from between his slightly parted lips and down his chin. A wave of worry hit Tala as he watched his best friend fight for his life. Spencer was holding the teen tenderly, but that wasn't going to make Kai any better. What Kai needed was a hospital and quick.

Where the hell are you, Ian? 

The short boy had been gone at least twenty minutes. He had no idea what was holding up the Wyborg master. Tala just hoped that Ian was okay. The blue-eyed boy couldn't handle it if Ian had been injured or killed as well. There had already been too many deaths.

Iris was shaking in the corner, her eyes wide in fright. Tala frowned. Obviously she had seen something that no one else had seen when Kai had lost it. The darkness of Black Dranzer probably had something to do with it. He glared at the woman and watched as she shrunk even more into herself at his look. Smirking, Tala turned back to the predicament with Rei. He suddenly winced as pain tore through his injured shoulder. He was dangerously close to passing out from blood loss and he knew it.

In a quick movement, Rei was suddenly shoved forward. The Nekojin almost tripped up over his own feet and stumbled, crashing into Tala. Tala caught the raven-haired teen and looked over to see Boris Balkov step out of the shadows. The man's face was horribly disfigured and Tala couldn't help the gasp of disgust from escaping. He heard a few others gasp as well and almost laughed at the pissed off look that appeared on the Russian man's face.

"Hello there, Tala. It's not nice to know that you're still alive and kicking. Too bad the same thing can't be said for you little friend, Kai down there." There was something in Boris' voice that Tala didn't like one bit and looking down at Spencer and Kai, he was shocked to see tears streaming down the blonde's face.

Spencer looked up at him with watery eyes, his face pale and lips trembling as he struggled to hold in the grief. "I…I'm sorry, Tala…But, but he…he's gone…" The Russian blader broke off in sobs. Tala felt his own eyes watering up. Spencer couldn't be telling the truth, could he? Kai couldn't be dead!

"Spencer? Kai's not dead, is he? Is this just some kind of twisted joke? Kai isn't DEAD!" he screamed, the shock taking over his body. Spencer just shook his head and laid the unmoving body of Kai on the ground. Tala stared at his best friend and saw that Kai's chest wasn't moving up and down like it should have been if he was still breathing.

"No…" he whispered. Tears leaked from his ice-blue eyes, unable to believe that Kai was dead…his best friend was dead…"NO!" He turned to Boris, his grief quickly switching to anger. He didn't care that the man had a gun; Boris was going to go down, right now.

"I _HATE_ you!" he shrieked. Balling his fists, Tala launched himself at Boris. His weakened condition didn't stop him from tapping into Wolborg's power and grabbing some for himself and he used that power to knock the gun from Boris' grip. The gun skidded across the ground and landed in the doorway at Tyson's feet. The navy-haired blader just stared at the gun.

Tala looked away from Tyson and focused on the man he was beating the shit out of. Punch after punch landed on Boris' already disfigured face and with every punch he felt his strength wavering. But his anger grew even stronger. He didn't care that he could possible kill himself fighting Boris, but for some reason, he didn't care. Kai was dead. That was the only thing that was running through his mind. He wanted to avenge his best friend by killing one of the many people who had caused his death.

Kai should have stayed in the hospital and recuperated, but because of the events that Voltaire and Boris planned, the slate-haired teen had become determined to get the captured bladers out of the BBA Training Stadium. The same building that Bryan died in…the same building which also took his own life.

Tala screamed at Boris through clenched teeth. His injured shoulder was on fire, but he ignored it and continued punching the Balkov Abbey founder. "_I…fucking…hate…you!_" One punch landed directly in the middle of Boris' nose and a sickening crunch echoed through the room. Blood spurted from the Russian's nose and Tala smirked, satisfied with the sight of the extremely crooked nose.

Suddenly, The Abbey director landed a blow to his abdomen and Tala doubled over in pain. The punch had been bloody hard and the Russian teen slumped opt the ground, his arms wrapped protectively around his hurting stomach. He groaned as Boris lifted his chin with a large, pale hand. He then flew backwards as Boris backhanded him around the face.

"Tala!" He heard more than one voice call out his name in concern and he groaned again, curling up around his stomach. He was sure that Boris had done some internal damage with that punch. It was like he had been hit with a concrete block! It was becoming increasingly hard to breathe with all the pain assaulting his battered body. His shoulder was bleeding again and the light-headedness had returned. It wouldn't be long before he was too weak to defend himself and then it would all be over.

"Come on, Tala! Beat this evil prick!" Tala laughed at the encouragement he was receiving from bladers in the room. For some reason, it made a little amount of strength return to his body, enough to let him stand up without falling back down.

"So, you've got some fight left in you, Tala? This should be amusing," laughed Boris, his voice taking on nasal tone from the broken nose.

"You know what, Boris?" Tala smirked, blood seeping from beneath his lips from a bitten tongue, "if you sucked ten litres of helium you would probably sound better than you do now…"

With an angry growl, Tala dodged Boris as the man lunged at him. Boris couldn't stop in time and slammed into the concrete wall, slumping to the ground afterwards, dazed. Tala walked towards the man, an amused smirk plastered across his features. About two metres before he reached the man, Tala's eyes narrowed and he turned around and headed for the doorway. After picking up the discarded gun, the red-haired teen sauntered back over to Boris.

Wincing as the pain in his shoulder disagreed with the motion of pointing the gun at Boris' head, Tala cocked and readied the gun. He had checked the chamber and saw that there were three rounds loaded. One would be sufficient for what he wanted to do.

"Kai never deserved anything that you dealt him, Boris. He was a good person with a decent heart. It was only your and Voltaire's doing that made him cold and anti-social. You ruined his life on more than once occasion. His death is the last straw. I always told myself that I would never kill you, but let you rot away in prison. Somehow, in the past half an hour, I changed my mind. I don't care what Kai would say, what Bryan would say, what Spencer _will_ say. You're going to Hell today, Boris. And I'm going to be the one who sends you there."

Boris' eyes widened a fraction at the end of the speech and Tala tightened his hold on the gun. He was about to pull the trigger when a loud rumbling filled the room. Whipping around, Tala saw chunks of the ceiling starting to rain down. The building was collapsing…

"Oh shit," Tala said aloud. He really badly wanted to kill the Abbey director, but his main priority was to get everyone out, including Kai. "Help me tie him up," he ordered. A few bladers jumped up as Tala got Wolborg to conjure up a rope infused with the power of ice. There was no way Boris was going to get out. "Tie up Iris as well," he sneered. The bitch deserved to die as well.

As soon as the two BIOVOLT members were tied securely, Tala went over to Kai. He looked down at his best friend with a sad expression marring his features. A single tear leaked from his eye and rolled down his cheek, mingling with the dirt and blood. He never thought that he would ever see the day where two of his friends were killed within a week. Tala had hoped that if any of them had died, they would have died all together so that no one was left alone. Now there was only Ian, Spencer and himself.

Kai's face was extremely pale. His dark lashes contrasted deeply with the pallid colour of his skin. His lips were still faintly pink and were slightly parted, but no air rushed in and out of them. Kai's eyes were closed and Tala was glad for that. He didn't think that he would have been able to stand seeing Kai's fiery crimson eyes so dull and lifeless. He had seen it once before when Black Dranzer had almost killed him and it wasn't something he wanted to experience again.

"I'm so sorry, Kai. I'm sorry I couldn't save you, sorry that I didn't have the strength to protect you…" he was whispering as he leant in to brush a hand over Kai's cooling skin. A crystalline tear dropped from his ice-blue eye and landed on Kai's cheek. The tear then rolled down Kai's cheek and finally hit the floor.

Standing back up, tears now leaking at a frequent rate, Tala felt a wave of dizziness hit him. He stumbled backwards and swayed on his feet before falling backwards, only to land in a pair of strong arms.

"Come on, Tala," whispered a voice. "Let's get out of here." He turned to see a gossamer image of his best friend behind him. Shocked, Tala almost collapsed again. Kai's ghost smiled sadly, his eyes shining with sorrow. Kai's body was wound free. It was if when he died, all his injuries had disappeared from his body. Even the tattoos on his face were gone.

Looking back over to Kai's body, Tala saw that the tattoos were still there. Frowning, he stared at the spectral form of his best friend. A quiet whisper reached his ears. "I am perfectly healthy in this form, Tala. My body my be in the same state, but my spirit isn't."

"Kai…" Tala cried. "Don't leave me. Come back. You have so much of your life to live! Please…" he begged the last part, his eyes shining with hope.

"I can't," spoke Kai's ghost, "but I need you to do something for me. You need to get my body to a hospital as soon as possible and I need you to put Dranzer and Black Dranzer beside the bed. If you do that, I may or may not come back."

"What?" Tala exclaimed, unbelieving. "But if it can bring you back, then I will."

With a flash, Kai's gossamer form disappeared and Tala looked around himself. Confused, the red-haired teen found himself lying on the ground, Spencer looking at him worriedly. The blonde sighed in relief and Tala groaned as he sat up.

"What happened?" he asked, still confused as to what had happened.

"You collapsed. After seeing Kai, you dropped. We have to get out, Tala." Tala nodded as Spencer spoke and let the blonde help him to his feet. That was when he realised that everyone was ready. Spencer held on to his arm to keep him steady and Tala looked around for Kai. He didn't find him anywhere.

"Where the hell is Kai?" he screamed. He noticed that everyone in the room averted his angry look and Tala turned to Spencer. "Where is he, Spence?"

Spencer looked him straight in the eye. "I'm sorry, Tala…but he's a dead weight now. It would be too much of a hassle to take him with us. So…we're leaving him here…"

"WHAT!?" Tala exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing. How could they leave behind the one person who they care for like a brother as if he was one of the bad guys and deserved to be buried? "Kai is my best friend! I am _not_ about to let him be buried under this heap of shit! He's coming with us and that's _final_!"

"Tala…" Spencer said softly. "I know you care for Kai, a lot, but you've got to let go…" There was immense sadness underlying Spencer's tone and Tala caught it, but it still didn't excuse the fact that they were going to _leave him behind_.

"I can't leave him, Spence. He told me that I had to get him to a hospital and bring him Dranzer and Black Dranzer. He said that it could bring him back!" Tala was almost hysterical now. After a few seconds, he calmed down a little and whispered: "He came to me a ghost, Spencer. Just like Bryan did…it has to mean _something_. I just don't want to give up on him yet. Kai was always the strong one of us, I guess I just wanna believe that even in death he's strong…is that so wrong?"

"Oh, Tala…" Tala saw the indecisiveness in Spencer's eyes and moments later the burly blonde teen walked over to where Kai was lying and picked the boy up. Kai's head flopped against his chest and a small smile graced Tala's features. He sent a silent 'thank you' look to Spencer just as he stumbled back into Rei's arms.

The Nekojin still looked a little shook up from the gun incident, but there was a smile on his face. "I'm glad that we're taking Kai with us, Tala. It would have seemed so wrong just leaving him there." A look that Tala couldn't determine passed across the Chinese blader's face. "Is it true? What you said, that is?"

Tala nodded, his vision wavering ever so slightly. "He told me to put Dranzer and Black Dranzer beside his bed and let them take care of him. I don't know what they're going to do, but phoenixes have the power of Rebirth, so you never know."

Another loud rumbling reverberated all the way through the building. Small chunks of ceiling and parts of the walls started to crumble. It was palpable that the building was in the stages of collapsing. They only had a limited amount of time to get out safely.

Just as a particularly big piece of the roof fell, Tala felt himself being pulled back just in time. The piece of rock slammed into the floor just in front of him and shattered. A shard of rock sliced the skin on his cheek and Tala hissed in pain. Then he heard a scream of agony and turned back to see Iris. Half her body was visible above a predominantly large rock. Some blood seeped out from beneath the rock and Tala grimaced. His aunty was not going to have a very nice death.

He guessed that he should feel at least _some_ remorse for his relative, considering she was the only one he had left, but he didn't. If it hadn't been for the woman, his parents would have survived and he would have more than just a psycho aunty. As for where his family was concerned, he still had Spencer, Ian and hopefully Kai would join them again. That was his family now. Those three boys who he had grown up with were like his brothers and nothing would convince him otherwise.

"Come on!" someone called out to him. Shooting one last particularly nasty death glare at Boris and Iris/Rissa, Tala let Rei help him walk out of the room and into the corridor. The hallway was in no better condition than the room had been. There were portions of rock and debris scattered everywhere. Glass and wood also littered the floor, making one hell of a mess.

Tala hated to admit it, but if it weren't for Rei, he probably would have got lost or stuck somewhere. Looking at the Nekojin, Tala mentally thanked the teen as he swayed and he caught him. The world spun before his eyes and the little black dots decided to make a reappearance. Cursing his weakness, Tala leant more heavily on Rei as he struggled to walk in a straight line. It was becoming harder to even see where he was going and had to put his full trust in the Chinese blader. It wasn't something he normally did, but he figured that to get out of the building alive, it was something that he was just going to have to do.

As Rei manoeuvred him around all the debris, Tala felt his mind slip back to when they had first come into the building to rescue the captured bladers. Back then, he had had no idea that he had an evil aunty who wanted nothing more than to kill him and Kai; had no idea that his best friend was going to die; had no idea that the one man he had wanted to kill his whole life was actually going to die.

Suddenly, they reached a room where a large hole in the ceiling was visible. Tala realised that it was the room where Kai had battled Brooklyn and shown them the extremely impressive attack Death and Rebirth.

_It seems so long ago that Kai battled Brooklyn. Back then, we weren't in any danger of really dying…and then I got shot…_

Thinking about it, Tala wondered where Brooklyn and Garland had disappeared to. Knowing them, they would have gotten out as soon as the battle was over and had never been in any real danger in the first place. They were most probably now training for the match against Tyson. That was if Tyson managed to make it out of the building in the first place.

Tyson was up at the front of the group, with Spencer, Michael and Lee. Tala was surprised that the food-addict was able to keep up with the fast paced teens, but maybe, just maybe, the Japanese blader actually knew how to keep up in some situations, like when a building was collapsing and he was still in it.

Tala chuckled slightly before a coughing fit enveloped him. He clasped his chest with one hand while covering his mouth with the other. He felt Rei stop walking and hold him upright as the coughs rippled through his chest. The agony that he felt almost crippled him and the only reason he stayed standing was because of Rei. If the golden-eyed teen hadn't been there, Tala knew that he would have been on the ground and left for dead.

Gasping for breath, Tala grimaced in pain. The pain in his abdomen hadn't gone away since Boris had punched him and he was starting to worry about it. He gently lifted up his shirt and winced at the extensive black and purple bruising marring the normally pale skin. He heard Rei hiss in sympathy at the sight of his bruised stomach and gave him a slight smile.

"We need to keep moving," he told Rei. "I'll be fine, I just don't want to be in this building when it goes down."

As if on cure, there was another large crashing sound that sounded something like an earthquake. The building shook violently and more pieces of the large Training Stadium came crashing down. The Stadium's life was almost over.

Rei gripped one of his arms suddenly and tightly and moments later, Tala found himself on the back of the Chinese teen. He struggled to find what to say as his head spun. It wasn't everyday that someone who barely knew him saved his life, well at least tried to.

"Thank you," he whispered, barely able to utter those two words. It was becoming harder and harder to stay conscious and Tala had a feeling that he wasn't going to be conscious when the BBA Training Stadium decided to cave in on itself.

As the building shook one more time, Tala felt consciousness slipping away from him. That was when he realised that he had to tell Rei about what to do with Dranzer and Black Dranzer.

"Rei," he said urgently. "You have to get Dranzer and Black Dranzer to Kai as soon as he's admitted to hospital. If you don't, he will stay dead. His life is counting on those birds…please…help him…" Tala's voice trailed off and his eyes closed. The last thing he remembered before slipping into unconsciousness was the fact that he had no idea where Dranzer and Black Dranzer were…

* * *

Kai groaned as he woke up. As his eyes adjusted to his new surroundings, he noticed that he was in some kind of alternate realm. He knew that he had died. He had talked to Tala about saving himself. A sudden cold feeling went through him and Kai whipped around to see Black Dranzer hovering above him. Her dark wings beat against the air with massive swoops as she stayed airborne.

Her feelings suddenly became known to him and Kai felt like hugging the 'beast, but he didn't know what would happen if he did. Black Dranzer was worried. She didn't know whether Tala would be able to get Dranzer and her bitchips to him in time. This also worried Kai, but he had faith in his beast friend. Tala may not have been the most reliable person in the world at times and even though he was known to joke around at the most inappropriate times, Kai trusted him with his life. Which was exactly what he was doing now.

All the pain that he had felt before he had died was gone. He couldn't feel a thing. It was as though someone turned off his touch sense.

His crimson eyes widened as he saw two people's images float up to him. He saw the smiles on their familiar faces and only realised that he was crying when the gossamer image of his mother touched her cheek. He placed a hand to his own cheek and scowled when he couldn't even feel his finger there. He wasn't even sure if he _was_ touching his cheek.

"Kai…darling."

Shocked, Kai fought not to break down as he heard the one voice he had longed to hear in over ten years. It was a voice he thought he would never hear again in his life. The gossamer image of his mother floated towards him again, the smile still on her face. As she got closer, Kai saw that the smile didn't reach her beautiful blue eyes. She was obviously happy to see him, but sad at the same time.

"Mum…" he whispered, afraid that if he didn't anything wrong, that his parents would disappear again. "It's been so long…so long…" He broke off as he clenched his fists together to stop the pain from breaking out of his hold. He had hoped to see his mother and father again his whole life and now that they were there, he didn't know what to say to them.

"Sweetie, it's okay. You can cry. You don't have to hold back your emotions for us, honey. We love you, that's all that matters."

"I…I love you too, Mum…Dad…"

Abruptly, a shot of pain raced through his body. He gasped at the sudden feeling being brought back into his body. He had been so accustomed to not being able to feel anymore, that the shot of pain had caught him completely unaware. Kai waited for it to pass, but when it didn't, he became worried. The pain was so bad that he cried out and watched as his mother and father looked on, their own emotional pain showing through on their faces.

Kai collapsed onto the ground as the pain spread from his chest to his stomach and through his arms and legs. It felt as though he was being pricked by thousands of needles that weren't drawing any blood, they were just there to inflict hue amounts of pain. He struggled not to cry out again. No matter what people said, he still had a thing about showing weakness in front of other people. He didn't think that it would ever change.

"Shit!" he yelled as the pain reached his head. It felt as though someone was driving a spiked nail into his brain with sluggish and very soft hits. That way, it took longer to drive the nail in and it made the pain last much, much longer.

He looked upwards as the pain became too much and his thoughts became groggy and uncoordinated. Dranzer, Falborg, Wolborg, Seaborg and Wyborg had joined Black Dranzer. The several bitbeasts were looking at him with sympathetic gazes, as though they knew of the pain he was going through.

A sudden need for sleep overwhelmed him. He felt his eyelids start to close as tiredness consumed his mind and body. Kai smiled as he drifted off to sleep, knowing that six bitbeasts would be looking over him as he slept. He just hoped that this was a sleep he would eventually wake up from…

* * *

Rei groaned as Tala lost consciousness. The dead weight of the Russian teen wasn't much as he pretty much weighed next to nothing, but it still wasn't the best circumstances for the teen to lose consciousness. Struggling his way through the debris that littered the floor, Rei followed the others through another corridor he vaguely remembered coming through. Ahead of him, there was a loud shout and some cheering. The distinct rumbling of the building swaying crumbling on its foundations drowned the cheering out and a bad feeling swept through Rei.

He broke out into a sprint as the doorway to the outside world beckoned him. The rumbling grew louder and the building started to collapse in on itself. Rei gasped for breath as he practically jumped out the door, skidding across the hit concrete with Tala slipping off his back and doing the same. Rei quickly picked himself back up while someone else grabbed Tala and they made a half run half stumble away from the building.

As soon as they figured they were a relatively distance away from the BBA Training Stadium, Rei slumped to the ground, shattered. He watched on as the building continued to cave inwards, crushing everything and anything in its way. He winced as he thought about what Boris Balkov and Rissa Ivanov would have experienced as the roof came collapsing down on them. It would have hurt, he figured that much.

"Rei?" The golden-eyed boy looked up tiredly as Spencer called his name. The blonde teen was still cradling the body of Kai close to his chest tightly, not wanting to let go. "Let's go get Kai to a hospital and find someone who can help us.

That was when Rei felt the smile light up on his face. They had made it outside! Rei stood up – despite the fatigue that threatened to make him topple over – and looked around at the surrounding area. The sun was shining in a bright blue sky; a sky that it seemed as though he had not seen it for a very, very long time. There was the melodious sound of the birds singing in the air and Rei took a deep breath, savouring the fresh air that entered his airways.

He glanced at the other bladers and noticed them doing the same thing, enjoying the taste, feel and smell of freedom. For them, it had been a while since they had experienced the outside world.

"Oh my god! Spencer!" called out a voice from somewhere Rei couldn't pinpoint. He watched as Spencer turned to see a short figure running towards them with a bunch of rescuer workers right behind him. It was Ian!

Rei let out a shout of happiness. Ian had finally found help and now that they were out, the help had arrived and they could all the medical attention they needed. Speaking of medical attention, Rei sobered up somewhat as he remembered Kai and Tala, whose condition was most obviously critical. If they didn't reach a hospital of sorts soon, Tala would be joining Kai…

"Guys! You're all okay!" shouted Ian. It was then that Rei noticed that Mr. Dickenson, Tyson's dad, grandfather, Max's mum and dad and other family members of the captured bladers were also running towards them. He smiled when he saw the Elder of his village back in China. They were all smiling and cheering, ecstatic to see that they were all okay – well most of them anyway…

The Chinese teen noticed the shocked looks on their faces as they drew nearer and saw the still forms of Kai and Tala. Rei saw that Michael was carrying Tala. The American's face was grim, his lips pressed tightly together as he held the critical teen. Spencer was still holding Kai tightly. It was plainly noticeable that Kai wasn't all right, even from a distance. His face was unnaturally pale and he want moving at all.

It seemed to Rei as if a blanket of death settled above everyone, trying to cut off their air. Mr. Dickenson and the other family members, rescue workers and Ian stopped short of reaching them, their sights on the blonde Russian and the teen in his arms. Rei saw the tears running down Judy Tate's face, as she was the first to realise that Kai wasn't just unconscious…

"Oh god…no…" She dropped to her knees and cried as her ex-husband rushed over to comfort her, tears shining in his eyes as well. Mr. Dickenson had stopped the moment he had laid eyes on the boy he thought as his own grandson, shock twisting his features. The head of the BBA was in shock; his eyes watering and his mouth hanging slightly open in disbelief. Nothing had been said since Judy's breakdown and Rei watched as Spencer broke the silence.

"He needs medical attention," he whispered. Tears threatened to fall from the blonde's eyes as well, but he held them back. "Tala needs help too…"

The sudden shout for medical assistance shocked everyone and Rei felt himself jump a little. Immediately, paramedics and other medical staff came running over, urgency written all over their features. They arrived in only minutes and gently took Kai from Spencer's arms.

Rei watched as the paramedics tried their best to resuscitate the dead teen, to no avail. That was when Rei remembered what Tala had told him about Dranzer and Black Dranzer. A sinking feeling swept through him the second he remembered that. He had no idea where the bitchips of Dranzer and Black Dranzer were…

The bad feeling grew worse as he thought that maybe, the bitchips were still in the collapsing BBA Training Stadium. If that was so, then Kai was never coming back and they would have to have two funerals instead of the one. None of them wanted to have a funeral in the first place and to have two funerals for two of the most respected bladers would rip a lot of people apart. Rei didn't want to be around Tala if he awoke to find that Kai hadn't made it…

"Come on, kid! You have to pull through!" shouted one of the paramedics working on Kai. Another group of medics had taken Tala from Michael and were working on him while they waited for the ambulances to come.

Rei frantically looked around, trying to think of where the twin bitchips would be. Nothing came to mind and he started to panic when Kai wouldn't breathe. They couldn't even find a pulse. The slate-haired teen had been clinically dead for about ten minutes. With time ticking on, Rei didn't know if there was _any_ hope of Kai being brought back.

Depressing thoughts broke through his barrier and Rei slumped. He was convinced that there was no way he could find the two bitchips in time to save Kai. Tears ran down his cheeks as he succumbed to the fact that Kai wasn't coming back…ever. His legs gave way from beneath him and he heard a few people gasp as he collapsed onto the ground. Even though the sun was shining, Rei felt as though the day should be stormy, cloudy and just downright depressing. At least then it would have matched the mood in the air.

"I'm sorry, Kai…Tala. Sorry that I couldn't do more to save you, Kai. Sorry that I didn't think things through to save your best friend, Tala. Sorry…"

"Guys! I have Dranzer and Black Dranzer!"

The words made Rei spin around in shock. _What!?_ Ian was holding two very familiar bitchips in his fingers. One was black and one was blue…Dranzer and Black Dranzer!

Rei rushed down the slope of the small hill they were perched on and snatched the bitchips out of the small Russian's hands. He raced over to where Kai was laying with several paramedics surrounding him. Rei could tell by the looks on their faces that they were ready to give up. Kai hadn't responded to anything and still wasn't responding to anything. Rei just hoped that this last thing would work.

The Chinese blader placed the two chips on Kai's chest, next to his heart. He knew that Tala had told him beside table in the hospital. But Kai wasn't _in_ the hospital, so he had to make do.

Nothing happened and Rei felt his world slipping away from him. It wasn't going to work…Kai was going to be gone, forever.

_I watched the clouds drifting away_

_  
I know it was destined to go wrong_

_  
You were looking for the great escape_

_  
To chase your demons away  
_

A paramedic leaned over Kai as Rei closed his eyes. Opening them a few seconds later, trying to bat away the tears that were falling, he saw the paramedic shake his head. The sounds of the ambulances sounded in the distance and Rei cursed. They had been too late to save the slate-haired boy. Kai wasn't ever coming back. Ever.

The head paramedic looked around, a sombre expression written across his face.

"I'm sorry…"

**END!**

-

-

-

-

-

**No I'm not that mean…am I? Here's a little more**

Rei gasped in relief as a small red light glowed from one of the bitchips. A light – black this time – glowed in synch with the red one and Rei knew that everything would be okay. He hoped…

* * *

**Now it's the end of the chapter!**

**Thanks for reading this chapter! I hope it was okay. I wrote it in under three hours! My fingers are sore. Hehe**

**PS. I'm sorry that there's not much Kai in this chapter. **

**Please review!**

**_DancerInTheDark101_**


	18. Breaking Free

**Hay there everyone! I thought that as a birthday present, I'd write chapter 18 for you guys, since you've all been so nice to me! I know that normally when it's your birthday, you're supposed to **_**get**_** presents, but I wanted to give one away :) Thanks to all that reviewed! I got 15 reviews last chapter! My highest ever!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade and I don't own Within Temptation or the song 'Pale,' whose lyrics are featured in this chapter. BTW, that song is **_**really**_

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A special thanks to… 

or-chan - thanks for the review! I hope that this update was quick enough for you!

apple.starz - jumping is good? YAY! I'm glad that you liked. Hope you like this chapter too :)

d1bontemp - thanks for the review! Is crying a good thing???? 0.o

cyborgshi - sorry 'bout the cliffy. I seem to love those things 0.o Anyways, thanks for reviewing. Hope this chapter was up quick enough!

kavbj - hi again! I updated in less than a week this time! Go me! lol. Thanks for reviewing, it was really nice to read your comments! Making people cry? I dunno if I _like_ doing it, but for some reason, I still do 0.o I had actually thought about stopping it there, but you guys would probably kill me, so I didn't. Hehe. Hope you enjoy.

Cailany - wow, was this chapter really that sad? Thanks for reviewing!

Maria-Lilly Kon - thanks so much for the review! I'm glad you liked last chapter so much! Hope you enjoy this one too.

Elemental Gypsy - yep, they're outside :) Thanks for reviewing! Hehe, killing Kai off is like my favourite thing to do! As well as other characters...Anyways, hope you like the chapter!

Keight Ylonen - yes, horrible death! And yes, they _ARE_ dead. But that doesn't mean that the affer affects of their actions won't hurt some people...This story is NO WHERE near the end! Hopefully that makes you happy! BTW, I'm still working on that email. I'm trying, I really am! Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Destiny Quill - aw man I hate it when you write a review and then don't submit it properly! I can never be bothered writing the review again, so thanks! Skinned alive with toenails??? Uh oh...well thanks again for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

FlamingIce94 - yes, Boris and Iris are dead. I finally killed some evil people! Their accounts of their deaths will most probably be in the next few chapters. Hehe, gruesome stuff, here I come! Thanks for the review, hope you enjoy!

UNpReDiCtAbLE lIfE - I am definitely NOT a planner! All of my fics come straight from my mind onto a Microsoft Word document. I think that's why my fics have so many bloody twists and stuff. I ahve NO idea what the next chapter will be about...0.o No, it's not the real ending. I have a vague idea of other stuff to come. IFOF isn't ending any time soon! Hope you enjoy the chapter.

xXUrbanRegalityXx - thanks for reviewing! Iris and Boris ARE dead. Kai may survive, he may not. Someone else may die...someone else may not. You never know 0.o Hope you enjoy this chapter.

n-zelda-n - thanks for the amazingly long review! It's awesome? Thanks! Iris and Boris are definitely dead this time :) Lucky you! Your fingers don't get sore! It's really cold in NZ at the moment and at eleven o'clock at night (which is normally about the time I write) it's freakin cold! Anyways, thanks for the lovely review and I hope you enjoy!

Ray-Tiger-Cat - thanks so much for reviewing! Evil ideas? I'm evil? YAY!!! 0.o Iris and Boris are dead. Yep, definitely dead. Hehe. Dead people...0.o It's okay that you took so long to review. I don't mind at all. Hopefully this chapter is up quick enough for you. Enjoy!

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 18: Breaking Free**

Suddenly the red and black lights flashed brightly and then disappeared completely. Golden orbs widened in shock as his captain still didn't inhale precious oxygen. He just lay there, his face pale, lips tinged blue. Kai's slate locks fell over his closed eyes, shadowing them from sight. His chest stayed completely still.

_Oh god…we were too late…it didn't work…why didn't it work!? KAI!_

The silence was deafening. No birds sung their melodies of grace and harmony, the burning sun disappeared behind darkening clouds, the world started to cool. Rei shivered as the sun vanished from sight. He couldn't help but shiver at the bad feeling that ran down his spine. His blue-haired friend lay still as ever, showing no signs of waking up, no signs of even breathing. He was…he couldn't be…dead?

Rei pried his gaze away from that of his prone captain to look at the other seriously injured teen a few metres away. The redhead was also lying very still, but Tala's chest was rising and falling in shallow motions. The boy was obviously struggling to breathe. An oxygen mask had been placed over his mouth and nose and the paramedics were inserting IV drips and tubes into the boy's arms. Pale liquid hung suspended from metal poles and that liquid ran through the tubes into Tala's bloodstream.

The Nekojin watched, entranced, as a pale liquid entered Tala's arm and another tube started filling with a startling red substance. The red liquid flowed through the tube in what seemed to Rei as slow motion and into an empty hanging bag. Rei's muddled thoughts wondered why the paramedics were taking blood _out_ of Tala, when they should have been putting it _in_.

Eyes wide, the raven-haired boy realised that something mustn't be right. Shouting at the paramedics, Rei ran over only to find that they were draining blood that had gathered in Tala's lung due to a rib tearing it. Feeling a fool, Rei slumped, his eyes downcast. When he looked up again, he was startled to find himself staring into two piercing, albeit slightly glazed, blue eyes.

The Russian teen struggled valiantly to stay awake even though the paramedics had drugged him full of painkillers and other such drugs. Before the redhead succumbed back to the darkness of unconsciousness, he managed to whisper a few words. Frowning, Rei leaned in as Tala's lips moved slightly from underneath the oxygen mask.

"Wol…borg…Kai…help Kai…" Then those piercing eyes closed and his dark lashes brushed softly against the pale skin of his cheeks. The paramedics lifted the teen up onto a stretcher and carried him to a nearby, waiting ambulance.

Rei's gaze flitted back over to Kai, who was still in the same condition he had been in less than a minute before. The Nekojin jumped as a loud wailing siren ripped through the silent sky, preparing to take the injured red-haired Russian to the nearest hospital to be treated.

Whilst his best friend was on the way to hospital, Kai still lay on the ground, paramedics trying their hardest to bring him back. Rei felt salty tears drop from his eyes as he realised that it was pretty much not possible for Kai to come back. He had been clinically dead for almost five minutes. He wasn't coming back…

A blue flash flashed through the sky and Rei looked up to see the blue light racing towards the prone form of Kai. It seemed to be going exceptionally slow and it clicked that everything he had experienced in the past few minutes had been in some form of slow motion. Maybe he was going into shock…?

The blue light hit Kai with a flash and all of the paramedics jumped out of the way just as the light enveloped the teen. A red and black light joined the blue one and a sudden explosion of intense heat, cold and darkness swept outwards from Kai's form. Rei sheltered his eyes from the assault of light and took a step back. He heard three cries of agony, which pierced his heart with the sorrow and grief that were interlaced within them.

Stumbling, Rei struggled to stay upright as the blasts of light and power became stronger. He saw a few of the paramedics scream in pain the light hit their wide eyes.

Then, abruptly, the light disappeared. Breathing heavily the raven-haired teen inched closer to his captain, to see the telltale signs of life. Kai's chest was rising and falling as his airways opened to let air into his lungs. The slate-haired teen's lips were still slightly blue, but the hue had vanished slightly, leaving Kai's lips a pinkish/blue in colour.

Putting his hand over his mouth in shock and happiness, Rei ran over to Kai, not caring about the tears streaking down his face. All that mattered was that Kai was alive and breathing again. He heard a joyful yell come from his left and turned to see Tyson and Max jumping, smiles decorating their dirty faces, their eyes alight.

Rei smiled as well, his golden orbs lighting up the same as Tyson's and Max's. Paramedics rushed around the breathing teen and proceeded to put an oxygen tube in his throat and insert IV lines and tubes into his bloodstream. Kai's breathing was laboured and shallow, but he was breathing and that was all he cared about.

As Kai was placed in the second waiting ambulance and rushed to the hospital under the loud wailing of the siren, Rei stared at the three bitchips that lay, discarded on the ground. One was blue, one black and the last was a blue/grey in colour.

"Wolborg…" he whispered. The grey bit flashed once and Rei pocketed the wolf bitbeast. Tala would need the wolf in future times. He had to remember to thank the red-haired teen for caving Kai. If it hadn't been for Tala and asking Wolborg to help the slate-haired captain, he wouldn't have survived…

"Rei!" screamed a familiar voice from behind him. The Chinese blader turned as a pair of arms wrapped around him neck and a body hung off him. Startled, he looked into a pair of amber eyes, strikingly similar to his own. A smile decorated his face as he realised who it was.

"Mariah…" he choked out. An involuntary sob escaped his lips and once again, tears ran down his tanned cheeks. He hugged the pink-haired girl with all his might, not ever wanting to let go. He had thought that the girl was dead…buried within the walls of the BBA Training Stadium. He had never thought that he would have been parted from the one he loved, and when he had heard from Johnny that she was okay…

"Oh god, Mariah," he whispered into her ear, "I love you so much. Don't ever leave me again."

"I won't, Rei. I promise."

"REI!"

With a sigh, Rei turned, wondering why everyone was yelling at him. Tyson and Max were waving at him. They were standing next to Mr. Dickenson with huge smiles on their faces. "Come on! We're going to the hospital to see Kai and Tala! Come on!"

Glancing at Mariah, Rei opened his mouth to ask if it was okay if he went, when she nodded and pecked him on the lips quickly. "Go. Kai and Tala need you guys. I'll meet you there soon, 'k?"

Nodding, Rei kissed her back and then ran off to join his teammates. As he stepped into the car, the Nekojin looked up at the last standing part of the destroyed building and saw a silver light falling through the sky in the shape of a tear…

* * *

Bryan watched from afar as he saw two of his closest friends being taken away in ambulances. A gossamer tear streaked down a pale cheek as he watched the raven-haired Chinese teen being hugged by a pink-haired girl. All he wished was for someone to treat him like that, someone who would actually miss him if he died. Unfortunately, he was too late to find someone like that. He was already dead… 

A small falcon landed on his shoulder and Bryan smiled sadly. Falborg had stayed with him ever since Boris had shot him, constantly perching himself on his shoulder. Bryan had been watching the entire time that Kai and the others had stormed into the Training Stadium to save everyone else. He had watched as Kai battled Brooklyn, as Tala was shot, as Kai struggled to keep on living. The lilac-haired blader had seen the tears that were shed over his death, seen the waves of fury sent in Boris' death. He had felt the grief that had hit his former team. He didn't have a girl to love and care for him, but he had the best _brothers_ a guy could ever want.

Kai, Tala, Ian and Spencer weren't just his best friends. They were his _brothers_. They were the people he trusted with his secrets, his life. Now he felt as though he had to do the same for them. Tala and Kai's lives were on the line and Bryan felt that he had to do something to keep them living so they could find the people who would make them happy, who would look after them when they were sick, who would give them children…and most of all, a happy life.

Lilac eyes peered over at the car, which Mr. Dickenson, Tyson Granger, Max Tate and Rei Kon stood beside. He could sense their happiness that Kai was still alive, sense the grief that they felt over his near death. There were so many emotions running around, that Bryan grimaced in torment and pressed a gossamer hand to his forehead. A single tear slid down his cheek and the sun reflected against it falling.

Bryan didn't dare wipe the tear away. It meant too much to him. It symbolised the humanity that was still left in his soul, the humanity he had been told had never existed.

He thought it unfair that it was he, whose life had been so suddenly taken. There were masses of people who had a more tainted soul than he, so why was he the one who lost his life at the mere age of sixteen?

The Russian teen could still feel the pain that had radiated through him as the bullet penetrated his skull. The pain had only been for a fraction of a second before it had disappeared, being replaced by a feeling of desolation and coldness, but he could still feel it.

A sudden jolt went through him as he felt Tala's life force drop and disappear before returning. The redhead was fighting for his life…and it didn't look as though the Wolborg wielder would make it without a fight. Bryan cursed as Tala's life force once again dropped away. This time, the space between the jolts was much longer. It was seconds before Tala's heart started beating again.

Trying had not let out a heart-wrenching scream, Bryan concentrated all the remaining energy his spirit held to find Tala's soul and connect with it.

The pain that was held in Tala's soul was immense. Bryan gasped as he found the source of the pain…Kai and…and himself. Bryan was overwrought with the pain that was imbedded in Tala's spirit. The redhead didn't want Kai to leave him alone in the world; he also hadn't wanted Bryan to die…

Pain crashed through his body as Bryan tapped into Tala's thoughts. The Russian teen was struggling to stay alive, his life vanishing and reappearing before his very eyes. As Bryan had found out, dying wasn't a very nice process. The only way death was painless was if you were ready to embrace death. If not, it wasn't a very nice experience.

As he felt the last of his energy drain from his soul, Bryan sent out a mental message to Tala and Kai.

Please…I've helped where I can…please live. You have to fight it, fight it and live the life you were meant to live. Good luck…

At last, Bryan felt ready to embrace death fully and let the bright light take over his soul. Light glowed from within his soul and he smiled one last time, a genuine smile.

Please don't let my sacrifice be in vain…hold on, Tala, Kai…just hold on.

**

* * *

**

**A few hours later…**

Washed out blue eyes watched the group of people from a distance. A sad smile decorated his features, one that reached his eyes. It had only been hours since both Kai Hiwatari and Tala Ivanov were taken into surgery, but to him, it seemed like days had passed.

Spencer felt weak from the fatigue that consumed his body, but he wasn't going to succumb to it. He had been waiting for his teammates and best friends to come out of surgery for a few hours; a couple more wouldn't hurt him.

"Come on! What the hell is taking them so long!" came the agitated shout from the world champion blader. Tyson was fuming. His stormy blue eyes were ablaze with anger and worry, his hands wind milling around in circles. Spencer didn't think that he had ever seen the Japanese blader so worked up in his life. It was kind of amusing…

Rei and Max were both trying their hardest to calm the distressed teen down and trying to avoid any more embarrassment. Tyson wasn't obviously listening to them as he just turned his head away and started yelling at the nearest doctor for updates.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Spencer turned to the only remaining member of the Blitzkrieg Boys that wasn't in surgery or dead. The short Russian boy was sitting by himself, his head in his hands. A frown appeared on Spencer's pale features as he saw small drops of crystalline tears hit the linoleum flooring.

"Ian?" Spencer spoke quietly. He reached out with one hand to tap the younger blader on the shoulder. Ian's head shot up suddenly, confusion and shock evident in his dark eyes. The Wyborg wielder visibly relaxed when he saw that it was just Spencer.

"Hey, Spencer." Ian's voice was just above a whisper, hoarse and low. He sniffed and sucked in a shuddering breath before looking up again, his eyes drying. "Have y-you heard anymore about K-Kai and Tala's c-conditions?" the poor boy stuttered, almost about to lose control.

Spencer motioned with his eyes for the boy to move over and the blonde teen sat down beside him, wrapping an arm around the smaller blader's shaking shoulders. He hugged Ian tightly, as though the boy was his younger brother, not a friend he had met. As he thought about it, Spencer realised that all of them – Kai, Tala, Bryan, Ian and himself – had become more family than friends over the years. The amount of torture they had been put through had brought them all closer together than they all probably had ever thought was possible. It was something Spencer was grateful for. Without them, he didn't think that he would have survived the Abbey.

The blonde teen shook his head at Ian's question. "No I haven't. Tyson has been annoying every doctor or nurse that walks past with the same question over and over again," he chuckled slightly, "I think that he's going to get thrown out, very soon."

Ian laughed slightly and Spencer felt a wave of relief wash over him. No matter how much he, Tala, Kai and Bryan had locked up their emotions, Ian had always been able to keep them free and laugh like normal people. It was something he had always been envious of.

"It would be funny if he did get thrown out," Ian stated, his voice laced with amusement, "I bet that he's gone in the next five minutes."

"I bet you ten bucks that it's two."

Ian was about to open his mouth again when the door to the operating rooms opened and out walked the doctor who had been operating on Kai. Spencer jumped to his feet, Ian right behind him. The laughter and joking around disappeared from their faces as they braced themselves for the worst possible news…that Kai was dead.

Spencer looked over to where the rest of BBA Revolution was standing. They were all standing very still, their eyes trained on the doctor and no one else. Tyson's normally happy face was set in a deadly serious expression, all traces of happiness gone. He guessed that they were bracing themselves as well.

Quietly walking over to them, Spencer stared into the doctor's deep green eyes, trying to find out what the doctor was going to say. There were traces of sadness and grief in his eyes, but also lingering traces of relief and happiness. Did that mean that Kai was going to be okay?

"Come on! Spit it out already, would ya?" shouted Tyson and Spencer found himself wanting to smack the impatient boy over the head.

The doctor swallowed visibly at Tyson's harsh tone. The Japanese blader was glaring at the doctor with a glare that rivaled Kai's almighty 'death glare.' The doctor visibly flinched under the glare and Spencer smirked. It wasn't every day that Tyson of all people, was able to make a fully qualified doctor (or anyone for that matter) flinch under his gaze.

After a few seconds, Tyson's glare softened and the doctor spoke up. His voice was laced with fatigue and his features twisted with exhaustion.

"Your friend," he looked down at the clipboard present in his hands. Flipping over a few pages of white paper, he found what he was looking for, "your friend, Kai Hiwatari, is in a critical condition at the moment. When he was brought here, Mr. Hiwatari had been clinically dead for over five minutes and the paramedics informed me that he had been revived in the most unusual way. I won't go into detail now and ask questions, as I know that you are frantic to know about Mr. Hiwatari's condition."

"Damn right, we do!" shouted Tyson, a scowl visible on his Japanese features. Rei clapped him over the head and nodded for the doctor to carry on.

"Well…umm," he stuttered, "Mr. Hiwatari is currently in the ICU Unit of this hospital. The surgery was to remove pieces of metal that had, somehow, been missed during his last operations. They were fragments from the helicopter crash that he had been in. We also had to stop the extreme internal bleeding – blood was pouring into both his lungs, making it very hard for him to breathe and operate properly."

"We almost lost him more than once in the operating theatre, but he held on. Your friend has a very strong will to live, fighting the way he has been."

_/flashback/_

_There was a monotonous beep emitting from an expensive machine in the operating theatre. Surgeons rushed everywhere, doing everything they could to keep the human lying on the operating table alive. Curses could be heard echoing from many mouths as the beeping continued to stay as one flat tune._

_"Fight, kid! Goddamn it! Fight!" At his words, there was still no change in the teen's stats. A surgeon started pumping on the teen's chest, trying his hardest to start the boy's heart again._

_One pump…nothing._

_Two pumps…nothing._

_Three pumps…a flicker of a beat._

_Four pumps…nothing._

_Five pumps…a flicker of a beat._

_After five pumps, the surgeon was about to give up when there was a sudden, loud beep that resounded through the room. Six pairs of eyes whipped around to the heart monitor to see the once-flat green line, jerking up and down in a rhythmic, slightly unsteady beat. The green peaks rose and dropped as the patient's heart beat._

_The head surgeon let out a sigh of relief. The kid was still fighting his damn hardest to stay alive._

_"All right, folks!" he ordered his fellow surgeons. "Let's keep this kid living!"_

_/end flashback/_

Spencer smiled grimly at the doctor's words. Kai had always been a fighter, no matter the situation. If there was a slim chance of something happening, Kai would have never let up the hope of it happening and eventually that hope had passed to those around him. Even though he didn't know it, a lot of people looked up to the slate-haired teen. People all around the world admired and adored him for his strength, physically and mentally. Even the blonde Russian wasn't immune to Kai's charm.

"Well? Is he going to be okay?" came the demand from the navy-haired blader.

Goddamn, Tyson is impatient! Spencer thought, disbelief running through his mind.

"We are not certain at this point in time, as he is still in a very critical condition. If he survives the next few hours there is more of a chance of his recovery and if he survives the night, his chances of a good recovery will have risen by one third."

"So you don't actually know that he's going to survive?" The question came from the levelheaded Chinese teen. Rei's golden orbs were narrowed in question at the doctor, not demanding an answer, but just curious and wanting the truth about his friend and captain.

The doctor shook his head sadly. "No. I have no idea whether he will make it or not. That depends solely on Mr. Hiwatari's will to live. It's all up to him now."

Spencer ran a hand through his messy blonde hair as the doctor's words echoed in his mind. As he thought about it, the more worried he became for Kai's survival. The slate-haired boy – even though he was famous for his continuous 'I will never give up' attitude, Spencer wasn't sure if Kai was going to survive. When the teen had died in the Training Stadium, he never found out if they had got out of the place, or if they had perished as the building collapsed on top of them.

Kai had no idea if his best friend was still living or not. The blonde Russian knew for a fact that if Kai – even in his unconscious state – found out somehow that Tala had almost died, or if someone fed him wrong information, he would lose the will to live and give up. Tala was the only really close friend Kai had left and Spencer had the feeling that if Tala died, then Kai would too.

The two Russian bladers had been friends since they were very young. Their parents had been the best of friends in their lives and it had passed on to their children. When Kai and Tala had first come to the Abbey…

Spencer remembered that day very well. Both boys had been crying hysterically, wanting their parents back. He would never forget the tears that cascaded down their pale faces…

_/flashback/_

_A large door opened with a bang and in walked a purple-haired man. Two young boys hung on to each of his hands, their eyes wide in fright. Crystalline tears fell from two pairs of eyes: one crimson in colour and the other an icy blue. Both were sniffing and struggling to get out of the older man's tight grip._

_Spencer felt a small wave of pity for the two young boys. From their looks alone, he figured that they were only about a year younger than himself. He couldn't imagine what they were experiencing, being brought to the Abbey so young in life. He had only been at the place for just over six months, when he was five. The boys looked about the tender age of four. Boris yelled at the two boys and Spencer frowned at the man. He was being abnormally harsh to the two new boys. Normally when a new child was brought into the Abbey, he would act all nice and friendly, before changing his demeanor and becoming the heartless snake that he was._

_"Let go!" screamed the boy with flaming crimson eyes and two-toned hair. The small boy was struggling valiantly against Boris and Spencer watched, as the boy almost got free, only to have Boris backhand him fiercely. The blue-haired boy yelled out in pain and hit the floor, his hand still being clasped by Boris'._

_"Kai!" shrieked the other boy. Spencer kept the word locked in his mind. The boy's name was Kai. "Stop being so mean!" yelled the redhead again, his eyes watering up as he tried to help his friend off the floor._

_Spencer winced as Boris stood up and slapped the redhead before pulling the crimson-eyed boy off the dirty, stone flooring. Both boys were now quiet and Spencer felt tears run down his face. He hated seeing new boys come into the Abbey. It always meant more training, less food, harsher punishments._

_He thought about trying to befriend the boys, until he heard the one word he hated more than anything in the world._

_"Boys!" called Boris. Spencer filed out into the large room, along with all the other boys at the Abbey. Boris still held onto the two boys' hands tightly and Spencer could see the red marks his grip was casing._

_"I would like you all to meet our two newest 'friends'," he lifted the redhead's hand up first. "Meet young Tala Yuriy Ivanov."_

_Then Boris lifted the slate-haired boy's hand into the air, a malicious grin on his face. "Now, I would like to meet a very special boy. He will be staying here for a very long time and you will treat him with respect. I would like you welcome Kai Alexander Hiwatari…"_

_The blonde boy gasped as the word 'Hiwatari' passed through Boris' lips. Did that mean the boy with fiery crimson eyes was related to the owner and founder of the Abbey? The person who made the place that they called Hell was related to the small, crying boy standing in front of him?_

_"I hate you!" he screamed out to the boy, followed by a tirade of angry calls. He saw the tears fall from the boy's eyes and drop to the floor as his bottom lip trembled. He didn't care that he had made the boy cry. He hated him. He was a Hiwatari, the most evil family on earth._

_Unbeknownst to Spencer, with just three words, he had just made Kai Hiwatari's life a living hell._

_/end flashback/_

Spencer had never forgiven himself since he found out how different Kai was to his grandfather. Eventually, against all of his words and promises, the blonde teen became extremely good friends with the boy he originally hated.

"S-Sir?" a voice stuttered. Spencer snapped out of his thoughts and memories to see Ian looking at the doctor, a frightened look in his dark eyes.

"Yes?" answered the said doctor. He smiled a little and Spencer thanked him for that. Ian was the youngest in the room and Kai and Tala were like his heroes. Now that they were both in surgery, he didn't really have anyone to comfort him and look after him. He was scared.

"W-what about T-Tala? Is he g-going to b-be okay?"

That was when Spencer realised that the doctor had only spoken of Kai. Tala hadn't even been mentioned. Worry started to set in as no one said a word. A feeling of dread descended over his being, sinking deep into his bones and chilling him from the inside out. Was Tala okay?

"Mr. Ivanov is still currently in surgery…" the doctor said, his voice trembling slightly. Something wasn't right.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked. His voice was deep and commanding, his blue eyes flashing dangerously, "what are you hiding from us? What the hell is going on?"

The doctor sighed and Spencer could see the emotions swirling through the man's eyes. A decision was made and the doctor began to speak once more.

"Tala—Mr. Ivanov is still in surgery. The surgeons operating on him are trying their hardest to try and save him. The bullet wound to his shoulder is showing the first signs of infection and if the infection is confirmed and starts to develop, he will most probably not survive the operation. Mr. Ivanov lost a lot of blood and that has been a main concern for us. The blood transfusions aren't working and I'm afraid that if they don't start working very soon, there will be no hope left for him." He took a look around at the pale faces staring back at him. "I'm sorry, but it might pay to prepare yourselves for the worst possible outcome." The last part was said in a whisper and the feeling of dread grew worse. Spencer felt as though he had been dipped in an ocean of ice where he was trapped and there was no way of getting warmth.

_This can't be happening. Tala can't die…Kai was worse off when they went to hospital. He had actually died. Tala can't leave…TALA!_

Spencer didn't even notice the doctor go back in the operating theatre. He slumped into the nearest chair, his eyes wide in disbelief and shock. Tala and Kai were the closest people he had to a family. If they died…he didn't know what he would do.

**

* * *

**A pair of ice blue eyes snapped open. They looked left and right before settling on a spot straight in front of him. Thoughts swirled around him, some good and some bad. He knew that he was in some kind of state of unconsciousness, possible even dead. But one thing he didn't know was about his friends. Were they okay? Were they dead? 

Kai…

The blue-haired teen was his best friend. No, he was closer than his best friend. He was his brother. They had been through so many hardships together and the bond that was once friendship had changed into something deeper. They were family now.

Tala wondered what was happening with the Russian teen at that very time. Was he okay? Did Rei manage to save the boy in time?

_Oh god, what if he's dead?_

"Kai?" he whispered. Tala found that his voice was unusually hoarse and it hurt his throat to speak. Suddenly a sharp pain in his shoulder startled him into a sitting position. A pale hand clutched his left shoulder protectively, a small whimper escaping from between pursed lips. He hated the fact that his body hurt so much. If he was unconscious or dead, shouldn't the pain have gone? Shouldn't his body be numb to everything around him?

He screamed as his chest felt like it was burning. He jolted reflexively as the pain intensified a few notches. What the hell was going on? Why was this pain so bad?

A few tears of pain dropped from ice-blue eyes and slid down pale cheeks. Tala didn't try and wipe away the salty drops of water; he didn't have the strength to.

Tala gasped as an image appeared before his very eyes. It was of someone's funeral. There were lots of people gathered around a dark grey marble headstone, tears leaking from their eyes. Rain pelted black umbrellas as it fell from stormy, black clouds. It was if the weather was reflecting the mood set in the cemetery. The image zoomed in somewhat and Tala found that he could read the inscription on the headstone. He gasped.

"NO!"

_-----_

_Bryan Serjey Kuznetsov_

_A beloved friend, brother._

_Dedicated to all those around him._

_Will forever be in our hearts._

_-----_

_Kai Alexander Hiwatari_

_A special friend, brother, son._

_One who unleashed the light in many hearts._

_Once a phoenix, always a phoenix._

_You're finally free._

_Fly._

_-----_

Tala screamed again, unable to hold back the tears of anguish at seeing his brother's graves. The words written were true, so very true. But he didn't want to believe them. He didn't want to believe that they were dead. They wouldn't have left him, would they?

Another image appeared in front of him. This time it was one he definitely didn't want to see.

_-----_

_Voltaire laughed as another boy screamed and fell, dead. Blood stained the ground beneath the fallen boy, spreading in an ever-widening circle. People watched on, screams of torment and pain escaping their lips._

_Fires consumed whole villages, destroyed countless lives, corrupted so many innocent people._

_Black smoke drifted from power plants, polluting the air that was breathed. People lay, dying on the streets, their lungs ripped and torn from the acid air._

_----_

Was that what the world was like? Would that be what the world would be like if Voltaire wasn't stopped? Would it be the end?

_The world seems not the same,_

_Though I know nothing has changed._

_It's all my state of mind,_

_I can't leave it all behind._

_I have to stand up to be stronger._

_No! I have to stand stronger. I have to fight. Kai needs me. He isn't dead. My brother needs me!_

_I have to try to break free_

_From the thoughts in my mind._

_Use the time that I have,_

_I can't say goodbye._

"Please kid! Come on, you can fight this!"

"Hang on there, Tala!"

"Fight it!"

The strange words reached Tala and suddenly, he felt the urge to fight the darkness that had been slowly closing in on him. But as much as he tried, the darkness didn't seem to want to leave him. It descended upon him like a cloak of pain and agony. The pain wouldn't leave him.

Then, suddenly the pain disappeared and Tala knew that it wasn't a good thing. His body felt numb. He couldn't even feel the tears that were seemingly floating down his cheeks.

_Oh, this night is too long._

_I have no strength to go on._

_No more pain, I'm floating away._

Kai's face appeared before him. His tattoos stood out against the whiteness of his skin and Tala felt the need to live again. He had given up only a few moments ago, upon seeing the destruction that was to come. But now he knew that Kai wasn't gone, he hadn't left him.

_Through the mist I see the face_

_Of an angel, who calls my name._

_I remember you're the reason I have to stay._

"Kai…wait for me, Kai. I'm not leaving just yet. I'm coming back to you, Spencer and Ian. We're going to fight this one together. I promise."

_Have to make it right._

_Have to fight, cause I know_

_In the end it's worthwhile,_

_That the pain that I feel slowly fades away._

_It will be alright._

* * *

**End! Well, I hope you guys liked it. If there are any really bad spelling and gramatical errors in the last part of the chapter it's because my spell-checker decided to stop working and abandon me :(**

**Oh well. **

**Please review!!!**

**Till next time **

**DancerInTheDark101**


	19. Friends Or Foes?

**Hey there everyone. I am terribly sorry to confuse everyone again, by switching back to IFOF, but I have planned out the rest of this fic and because of the way of things it was better suited to be one fic. There will be some MAJOR twists in upcoming chapters. So look out for them! –hint, chapter 22 . . . . hehe- **

**There will be a new summary for IFOF, as some things have changed, but even though the next few chapters were originally from Inner Deceit of Darkness, they will now be apart of IFOF. Inner Deceit may be deleted after all chapters are switched over to IFOF. **

**I am so terribly sorry for all the switches and I may seem like a complete bitch, but I felt that more people recognised IFOF than Inner Deceit so I decided to carry on with IFOF. Plus, what I have in store for the fic, seems to fit better n one fic. Think of it as IFOF part 2. But there is still a main plot to the fic – the BEGA tournament. Things just happen in between the battles hehe. **

**So once again, thanks! And I hope you enjoy the new and improved IFOF! XD **

* * *

INNER FURY OF FIRE 

**__**

__ _DancerInTheDark101

* * *

_**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 19: Friends or foes? **

Rei stood outside Tala's hospital room, looking through the small glass window in the higher part of the door. Inside the room, the only occupant was lying, motionless, on a plain hospital bed. Tubes and wires ran from his veins into bags filled with a clear fluid and vice versa.

The occupant himself was extremely pale. His flaming red hair stood out in stark contrast to his skin and the whiteness of the sheets. A clear oxygen mask had been placed over his mouth and nose at some point and Rei was relieved to see it fog up every now and then when the Russian teen exhaled.

It had been three days since Tala and Kai had been admitted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Both teens had survived the operations, but neither had yet woken from their slumbers. The Wolborg wielder was the only one that anyone was able to visit, as apparently Kai's condition was still too serious to allow visitors. The slate-haired blader had constant supervision in case anything went horribly wrong and he needed immediate surgery. The last few days had been very tense and exhausting.

Rei looked over to where Tyson, Max and the Blitzkrieg Boys sat slouched in chairs. He let a small smile grace his feline features as he saw that every one of them was fast asleep in the chairs. Tyson was snoring slightly, his head resting – surprisingly – on Spencer's shoulder. In return, the burly blonde was resting peacefully. His chest rose and fell in regular intervals.

Max was curled up in a ball, his blonde hair flopping over his eyes, his hands wrapped tightly around his stomach. Ian was right next to him, pretty much doing exactly the same thing and Rei couldn't help laugh slightly at the looks of complete innocence on their faces. He knew for a fact that both of them weren't as innocent to the horrors of the world as they made out to be.

Turning back to the unconscious teen in the hospital room, Rei sighed and closed his amber eyes tiredly. He had been awake for hours on end, surviving on Kai's favourite concoction: coffee. The raven-haired teen had been drinking at least three cups a day of the revolting drink, much to his distaste. But it was the only thing that actually kept him awake. Lift Plus or 'V' did nothing to him, which was surprising considering the amount of caffeine in the energy drinks.

He let out a long breath and walked away from Tala's room. Being careful not to wake the slumbering boys, Rei slipped into a chair a little way away from them and closed his eyes. The Nekojin tried to sleep, his breathing evening out after a while, but he couldn't seem to succumb to the blissful darkness of the sleep world. He dozed in and out of consciousness, but never really had a proper sleep.

Forgetting about sleep, Rei got up and went to an information desk. He was wondering how Kai was doing…

"Excuse me, Miss?" he asked politely, flashing his white teeth slightly.

The woman at the desk looked up from her computer and smiled back at him, her blue eyes sparkling in false happiness. "Yes? How can I help you today?"

Rei inwardly winced at the woman's false emotion that tainted her words. She was obviously very annoyed or angry and trying hard to hide it, but Rei didn't fall for her act all. He decided to let it go, as he wanted to find out about his captain.

"Um," he started, "I was wondering if you knew how a Kai Hiwatari was doing? He was admitted here three days ago in a life threatening condition."

A few keys and clicks of the mouse later, the receptionist looked up. Her blue eyes shadowed with something that Rei couldn't quite put his finger on. What ever it was, he didn't like it one bit and felt the dread rise up in his stomach, threatening to overwhelm him.

She sighed slowly and Rei caught the hint of sadness and pity in her tone. Worry began to pound through his body at an alarming pace and suddenly Rei didn't want to know the facts anymore. He was sure that they would not be very good.

"The Kai Hiwatari you are referring to…" the receptionist's voice was monotone, no emotion seeping through her barrier "…is still in a critical condition. The doctors managed to stabilise him during the four operations he underwent, but his condition is not promising."

The shock must have shown clearly on his face as the woman gave him a sympathetic smile, her clear blue eyes reflecting the pity. Hanging his head, depressed, Rei sighed and went to turn around. He was stopped as the receptionist called out to him.

"Wait!" her voice was urgent, trembling slightly.

Rei Kon whipped around to face the woman and saw the shocked expression etched into her pale features. He frowned. A moment before the receptionist had been quite tanned…

"I-I just got paged…" she stammered, tripping over her own thoughts, "your friend has been rushed back into surgery…"

"What?" screamed Rei, shock overcoming his own features. Kai was back in surgery? _Oh god… _

"It doesn't say much about his condition here, but I do know that it is bad. There is a Code Eleven on his statistics, which means that he has over a fifty percent chance of dy—" she quickly reworded her mistake. "—of not making it."

Rei didn't know what to say. Kai was the strongest person he had ever met in his life. The Russian teen was strong physically, but most importantly, he was extremely strong mentally. The slate-haired blader was able to receive Tyson's taunts and cruel words without flinching and dealt back things ten times worse. Rei had even flinched at some of the things that the reigning world champ had yelled at their captain in sheer frustration and envy. Yet Kai just shrugged, 'hmph'ed and dealt back more harsh words to counter Tyson's.

It was common knowledge in the world's best blading teams that Tyson Granger was so green with envy over the enigma that was Kai Hiwatari, that it wasn't really funny. Even though the navy-haired Japanese teen had won the championships (taking it from Kai's grasp) three times in a row, he knew that Kai was the better blader and it had been sheer luck that he had won.

At training, Kai was the better blader. At local competitions, Kai always beat Tyson. Yet, when it came to the tournaments that counted – like the World Championships – Kai could never seem to beat the loud-mouthed wielder of Dragoon. The slate-haired captain hadn't even been able to beat Tyson when he had been in control of Black Dranzer and Tyson had launched a blade he had never used in his life – Dranzer.

Maybe it was a testament to how Tyson could pull off things at the last minute, maybe it showed that Kai panicked when battling Tyson, or maybe Kai held back during the Championship battles to let Tyson win? The last idea was so far farfetched that Rei scoffed and pushed it to the back of his mind.

There was one other reason that Rei had thought of, but he hadn't delved too deep into it. The idea had come to him one night when he had been awake and had heard a certain crimson eyed teen talking to Dranzer.

_/flashback/ _

_"Hey, Dranz," spoke a quiet voice. Rei immediately recognised it to be the hushed voice of his slate-haired captain. "I know it's been a while since I've said anything to you, but I really need to talk to you about the championships…" _

_There was a quiet chirp from the behind the partially open door and Rei realised it was Dranzer. Kai must have had her out of her blade and judging from the faint red glow seeping out from the crack, Rei guessed that he was right on that assumption. _

_It was completely silent for a few minutes and Rei yawned, seriously thinking about going back to bed. It was three in the morning and the final round of the championships were about to start. The match would be a stunner with Tyson and Kai going head to head in the third World Championships. Rei secretly hoped that Kai would finally beat his long time rival and claim the champion title for himself. As he turned to tiptoe away from the door, Kai's hushed voice spoke out again. _

_"I know, Dranz. I just don't know what to do. Should I do what I've always done around this team? Or should I abandon all that and go for the title again? So far, I've been holding back when fighting Tyson, but I don't know if I want to do that anymore. I'm sick of losing to that pig-headed boy who can't think of anything but food!" Kai's voice held more than a bit of anger, but he had still managed to keep his voice muted._

_There was a bit more silence and Rei realised that Dranzer must be talking to Kai in the spaces of quiet. _

_"You want me to hold back? Are you sure? Dranzer?" There was a note of confusion in the elder teen's voice and Rei wondered what could make Kai confused. His answer came soon enough; too soon for his liking. _

_"There's someone listening to us? Who is it, Dranzer?" _

_Eyes widening in shock, Rei scrambled away from the door to Kai's hotel room as quietly as he could. Using his Nekojin abilities, the raven-haired blader slipped back into his own bed in his own room. He sighed with relief, as he heard no angry footsteps echoing down the hall. _

_With his mind running in circles, courtesy of what he had just heard Kai say to Dranzer, Rei closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Because he had scrambled away so quickly, he hadn't heard the next sentence that Kai had spoken to Dranzer. _

_"Nah, I knew you were only joking with me. You know I would never go anything less than my best against Granger. I'm just sick of ending up second-best all the time. Granger hasn't trained his entire life to be the best, hasn't lost his parents because of his grandfather's need to be the best. He's had a good, stable life and hardly trains at all. So, how does he beat me all the time? Why the hell do I always lose, Dranzer? Am I not trying hard enough?" _

_/end flashback/ _

_That had been the day before Kai had lost – once again – to Tyson Granger. It was also the day that BEGA announced themselves and the beyblading world had spun out of control with the resignation of the entire BBA staff and BEGA took over the sport of beyblading. But now, Tyson is the last hope that the BBA has of winning back the right to the sport. If Tyson loses…then the entire team – including Kai, Tyson, Max and I – would have to retire from beyblading for the rest of our lives. It isn't something that I want to do anytime soon._

"Hello?"

Rei was snapped out of his thoughts and memories as a hand was waved in front of his face. He blinked a few times before realising that he had completely zoned out on the receptionist, who was currently waving the hand in front of his amber orbs.

He grinned sheepishly and rubbed a hand behind his head. "Sorry 'bout that!" he grinned again and watched as the woman rolled her eyes dramatically.

Then he remembered what the receptionist had just told him. His eyes widened a fraction and he felt the warm sensation of tears building in his eyes as he tried to convince himself that Kai _wasn't_ going to die; that Kai was going to _live_.

"C-can I see him?" he stammered, valiantly trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall.

The woman shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but he's in surgery right now. I may be able to somehow let you and your other friends see him after the operation, if h-he makes it…"

Rei stumbled back over to where the rest of his team and the Blitzkrieg Boys were sleeping in the chairs. The tears falling from his golden orbs obscured his vision somewhat and he banged into a couple of things before finally finding an unoccupied seat. He gazed at the sleeping teens in front of him, wondering whether to wake them and tell them of Kai's condition.

After much debate, he decided to wake the Blitzkrieg Boys first. He knew that if Kai died and they had no idea of his condition, they wouldn't be able to cope. It would be like losing Bryan all over again, only ten times worse.

He woke Spencer first and then went and tapped the small Russian teen lying next to Max on the shoulder. Both Russians woke immediately and Rei proceeded to tell them what the receptionist had told him.

Both teens were shocked speechless and Rei couldn't blame them. He had been exactly the same.

"I-is he going to d-die?" a small voice piped up and Rei found himself staring into the wide-open blue orbs that belonged to none-other than Max Tate.

"I don't know…" Rei responded quietly, hiding his pained expression from view. "There's a high chance that he wont make it…"

"Won't make it?" came the high-pitched screech from the blonde American. Max's stunning blue eyes were wide with horror, tears brimming and threatening to fall easily. After a few seconds, the dreaded crystalline drops fell from his eyes and rolled down the blader's tanned cheeks. "B-but he can't leave!" The boy broke off, sobbing desperately into his hands.

Shaking his head in despair, Rei lowered his eyes so that he didn't have to witness the tears streaking from his friend's eyes. It was bad enough hearing the heart wrenching sobs coming from, let alone having to see the tears.

Rei was about to turn and wake up Tyson, when he saw that the navy-haired blader was already awake, with a startled expression flitting across his face. It wasn't very often that anyone saw Tyson Granger look the way he was now.

"What? Kai's gonna die? _What's going on!?_" Tyson screamed, unable to hold back the emotions swirling in his stormy blue eyes. "He's only sixteen! He can't die!"

After Tyson's outburst, everyone fell into a depressing silence. No one said a word as they waited for the results of Kai's operation. Rei desperately wanted to say something and break the depressing air that surrounded them, but didn't have the guts to even look at the mourning teens.

_Please, Kai. You have to make it. I don't know what will happen if you don't. The world will turn to chaos probably…_

_Change of place/view_

**__**

Doctors surrounded a still form, trying frantically to revive the boy laid out on the operation table. It had been an hour and thirty minutes since the boy's stats had collapsed and his heart had ceased to beat. The boy was now relying on a respirator to keep his breathing going and a heart machine to keep his heart beating.

If the boy's eyes had been open, the surgeons and doctors would have found themselves staring into a pair of mesmerising crimson eyes. But as it was, the twin pools of crimson were sealed tightly shut, his dark lashes contrasting starkly with his pallid skin.

A surgeon strode over to where a computer resided. A window was open on the screen and a page filled with text could be seen. Kai Hiwatari's statistics could be read from the text – ranging from his age, to his current body temperature and time between each heartbeat.

The surgeon looked at one set of stats in particular and smiled in relief. He turned to his coworkers, the smile still gracing his features. "You can turn off the respirator and heart machine now. I think he's going to be just fine."

Turning to the unconscious teen, the surgeon smiled again, this time it was filled with happiness. "You're a fighter, kid. I hope to god that you stay that way."

"Right!" he called out to no one in particular. "Let's get this kid into a recovery room, stat!"

_Change place/view_

**__**

Startling pale blue eye slid open very slowly. The teen blinked slightly and turned his head to the left partially. Something had awoken him from his slumber; he just didn't know what it was.

He couldn't hear anything but a quiet constant beeping that was starting to get on his nerves. It wasn't terribly annoying as such. For some reason it made him feel safe and secure. His tired blue eyes took in the scene around him and suddenly the beeping got louder and faster. He felt himself start to hyperventilate as shock took over his weakened body.

The red-haired teen was in a place that housed some of his worst nightmares. His breathing erratic, Tala struggled up into a sitting position. He winced as the wounds decorating his pale body protested with the sudden movement, but he tried his hardest to ignore them.

A sudden shout caught his attention and the Russian blader looked to the right to see a group of men wearing white coats rush into the room in a wave of desperation. The worry and concern on their faces was unmistakable and Tala found himself becoming _very_ confused. Doctors were bad men, weren't they?

He fought against the doctors as they tried to restrain him. Some of them were shouting, but all Tala could hear was a distorted whine that made his head hurt.

"Shut…up…" he shouted weakly, his voice raucous. All men in the room stopped what they were doing and Tala felt their piercing gazes falling on his body.

Wolborg's master was breathing heavily from exertion, but he had calmed down somewhat. He was confused as hell, his mind a whirlwind of bright colours and whining voices.

A hand abruptly appeared on his shoulder and Tala flinched slightly. His ice blue eyes screwed shut under the contact of skin on skin and he bit his bottom lip beneath the oxygen mask strapped to his face.

"It's okay, Tala," spoke the man closest to him. Tal swallowed and tried to shake the feeling of dread from the pit of his stomach. "We're not going to hurt you, all we are trying to do is make sure that you recover alright, okay?"

Nodding slowly, the Russian champion leant back against the pillows. He exhaled a breath loudly and closed his startling blue eyes, trying to figure out what had happened and where everyone else was.

Then it hit him. _Kai! _

The last thing he remembered was telling Wolborg to help his best friend, because…because Kai hadn't been breathing.

"W-where's…Kai…?" He had meant to sound imposing and threatening, but that all fell to pieces as he gasped for breath, having to take a few seconds between words to catch his breath. He sounded pathetic.

Tala watched wearily as one of the doctors made his way over to him. The doctor was tall with fair hair that looked dyed and deep green eyes magnified from behind large-rimmed glasses. He was obviously getting on in life because Tala could see wrinkles starting to show along his forehead and in between his eyebrows.

Even so, the doctor looked very intimidating and there was some kind of eerie feeling that accompanied the man wherever he went.

The doctor pulled out a chair and Tala eyed the man as he leant forward to look at Tala. He started to speak and Tala shut up, wondering what was going on. The world was still blurry and the high-pitched whining sound never dissipated. Instead, it seemed to get louder whenever someone spoke.

"Now, Tala," the doctor began. "My name is Doctor Selwyn – Doctor Louis Selwyn. I have been given the task to take care of you as you recover and make sure that your recovery is as speedy and efficient as possible."

"First off, your condition has been quite serious. The wounds have taken their toll and exhaustion has set in. You were very lucky to have been brought in as soon as you did, otherwise you wouldn't be here this very moment. A few broken ribs had punctured your lung and blood was entering the punctured organ at a very alarming rate. I don't know how you survived, but you did—"

Annoyed beyond belief, Tala growled low in his throat despite the fact that it hurt like hell.

"I asked…you a q-question…" he coughed slightly, glaring at Dr. Selwyn. "Where…is Kai!?"

Dr. Selwyn blinked in succession and Tala would have grunted in amusement has it not been for the painful stabbing in his chest and the dryness of his throat. Instead, he stayed completely silent and waited for the doctor to answer his question.

There was a large sigh from the older man and Tala narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't quite right. Was Kai okay?

_Oh god. What if…what if he didn't make it? _

"Your friend is currently in surgery." The words were bland, blunt, very to the point. "He has less then a twenty percent survival rate. He's most possible going to die."

Tala couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped from his lips. The way the doctor had said those words about his friend…was Kai really going to die?

"No…" he whispered. "You have to…have to be lying…Kai won't…he won't die on me!"

Doctor Selwyn leant in close to him and Tala felt the man's warm breath on his ear. The man's dyed hair tickled against the side of his face and the Russian teen recoiled, hissing quietly.

"Now, now, Tala…" came the whispered words from the doctor. "Your friend may not die on you…but_ you_ may disappear from _him_…"

Stunned at the choice of wording, Tala gasped as the doctors surrounded him and one came at him with a rather sharp syringe full of some unknown substance. Panicking, Tala tried to scream, but found that his voice wouldn't work.

_Who the hell are these people? What do they want with me? Wolborg? Wolborg…! _

_…KAI! _

Then all of a sudden the room went completely dark and Tala found himself unable to see anything. A sharp prick hit his arm and the Russian blader knew that something had been injected into his bloodstream.

Tala Ivanov fought bravely against the foreign substance invading his body, but soon he succumbed to the invader and knew no more.

_Change place/view_

Kai Alexander Hiwatari closed his eyes, sighed and leant back against the headboard of his bed. It had been two days since he had awoken from his coma and two days since he had found out about his best friend's disappearance. The slate-haired teen had not been allowed even out of his bed to assist in the search for the missing Russian. Instead, he was cooped up in bed all day, waiting for news of Tala. So far, there had been nothing.

_/flashback/ _

_A groggy Kai awoke to see several pairs of worried eyes staring at him from above. He winced and turned his head away top avoid their gazes. The teen had no idea who the eyes belonged to… _

_"Kai, buddy!" came the familiar annoying voice of none other than Tyson Granger – Beyblading World Champion (three times running. He never let you forget that) and all round annoying guy. _

_Moments later, a shock of navy hair appeared in his vision and Kai groaned. He _really_ didn't want to see or hear from the Japanese teen at that very time. He had only just woken up and had no idea of where he was or what had happened. It was seriously starting to get on his nerves. _

_"Where's…Tala?" were the first words out of his mouth. The Russian captain didn't know why, but something hadn't felt right since the minute he had woken. He desperately wanted to know what it was. _

_Kai didn't like the looks – actually, the lack of looks – he was getting. Every time he tried to meet their gazes, they would either look at their shoes or somewhere else in the room. _

_"What the…hell is going…on?" When there was no response, he got angry. He may have been weak from his injuries, but his temper still held the same power. "Tell me!" _

_Rei was the first to toughen up and he cleared his throat. Kai looked over at the Nekojin expectantly and amber eyes widened in surprise. _

_"Ahh…well…" he stammered. "Well, you see…Kai…Tala kinda…wentmissingafewweeksagoandhasn'tbeenseensince!" _

_Rolling his crimson eyes, Kai looked back at the raven-haired blader. "Slower…" _

_Sighing with defeat, the wielder of Drigger spoke once more, this time _much_ slower. "Tala went missing a few weeks ago and hasn't been seen since…" _

_Kai couldn't hide the shock he felt and his crimson eyes widened more than a fraction. _

_"Missing?" _

_Tala, where are you? _

_/end flashback/ _

Reaching over, Kai grabbed the remote and flicked the plain black TV on. The station was already tuned to the news and Kai watched as nothing was said about Tala's disappearance and his failing search. However, there was a piece on the discovery of Rissa Ivanov and Boris Balkov's bodies, which had been found at the bottom of the BBA Training Stadium.

He had heard that their bodies had been almost too badly mangled to even recognise and ended up having to bring in people who had seen them enough in life to know who they were. Surprisingly, Kai felt bad about their deaths. Even though the two were cold, heartless murderers…did _anyone_ really deserve to be crushed to death? The TV coroner had stated that both Ivanov and Balkov had not been killed by the collapse of the building, but from suffocation; they had suffocated beneath hundreds of tonnes of rubble.

Listening intently, the crimson-eyed blader waited to hear if there was anything about the burial of the two murderers. Did they even deserve a burial?

Thinking of burials, Kai's mind wandered to when Bryan's funeral was going to be. He had been told that Spencer, Ian and Mr. Dickenson were planning the funeral. They had offered for him to help in the planning, but Kai didn't want to have anything to do with it. It was hard enough even thinking that the lilac-haired teen was never coming back, but having to plan his _funeral_? It was too much to handle, along with Tala missing and everything.

A slight rapping at his door sounded and Kai switched off the TV. "Come in."

The painfully white door opened slightly and a head full of black hair poked through the gap. Kai sighed and rolled his eyes as Rei's golden orbs came into view.

Ever since Tala had gone missing, the Chinese blader had been keeping a close eye on him and it was beginning to severely annoy Kai to great lengths. He knew that Rei was only trying to look out for him, but Kai felt smothered. He wasn't going to be going anywhere in any hurry, so why the constant surveillance? It just wasn't necessary.

"Hey, Kai," came the quiet, collected voice of a certain overprotective teammate of his. The door opened a little more and the Nekojin walked in, seating himself in a chair next to the bed. "What's up? Are you okay?"

A terse reply came from between his pursed lips. "I'm fine." Ah, how he loved that sentence, if you could call it that. It was one of the only lines that succeeded in pissing off anyone who knew him greatly. The other being, 'training, now!'

However, this time, Rei didn't stand for any of his 'I'm fine' bullshit. "I know for a fact that you're not okay, Kai. So just tell me what is wrong!"

Angered, Kai turned to Rei, his crimson eyes blazing with barely kept fury. "If you _know_ that I am _supposedly_ not fine, then why the hell did you ask?" he spat, clenching his fists by his sides. "Or are you really that dumb as I thought you are?" The words were harsh, however, Kai didn't care in the slightest. The teen was pissing him off and he wanted him to leave, right then.

Cool golden orbs conflicted against Kai's own fiery crimson ones as their morals, concerns and personalities clashed. Kai was slightly surprised at the fight the Nekojin was putting up. He and Rei were supposedly decent friends, but since the incident with the hostage taking and the death of others, he had been irritating the hell out of the Russian teen. Kai didn't know how much more he could take.

"Don't start with me, Kai," warned Rei in a cold tone. "You may be able to get away with it with Tyson and the others, but I'm not stupid. I know the general outline of things and I know for a fact that there are things that you aren't telling us. I want to know what they are and I want to know now."

Growling lowly, Kai struggled not to lash out at the blader. "What is going on has absolutely _nothing_ to do with you, Rei!" he partially shouted. "So just keep your damn nose out of other people's business and maybe you wouldn't be so disliked!"

It was the wrong thing to say at the wrong time and Kai knew it as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Rei's amber eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. A fang slipped past his pursed lips and the Russian blader heeded the warning, but vowed not to back down. He knew that he and Rei were about to have a rather big shouting match. He just didn't anticipate on how far the fight would go and the consequences that would arise from it.

"_Disliked? DISLIKED?_ If I'm disliked, then what the hell are you, Kai? DESPISED? HATED? _DETESTED_? You're so damn unlikable! You're _always_ pushing people away and doing things by yourself, putting everyone down…it's no wonder that Tyson bitches about you ever moment that you're not around!"

There was a moment of silence as Rei caught his breath and Kai absorbed everything the Nekojin had said. He figured that most of it was true in some case or another, but…

"_Why the hell couldn't you have died instead of Bryan!?_"

Kai couldn't believe what his teammate had just said. Did Rei really believe that? Should he have died instead of Bryan? Should he be the one being buried in a short time instead of his lilac-haired friend? Was death was he deserved?

Watching the emotions running across Rei's face, Kai saw no guilt present. The raven-haired teen obviously meant what he had said. Dejected, the Russian champion gazed at his teammate, thinking about what he could say. He didn't know _what_ to say. The remark had caught him so off-guard that he was stumbling for a response. Half of his brain agreed with the Nekojin, yet the other half was fighting against the comment. He was so confused.

"Do you really mean that, Rei? Came the hushed reply from Kai, his crimson orbs boring holes into Rei's golden ones. The slate-haired teen was so absorbed with finding out a reply that he didn't notice that an audience had gathered.

BBA Revolution and the remaining Blitzkrieg Boys stood in the doorway, mouths gaping open and expressions shocked.

"Do I mean it?" Rei sneered, his voice lowering a few octaves. "Of course I damn well do! Why the fuck would I say it then, _Captain_?"

Fighting the overwhelming urge to deck the boy, Kai clenched his fists and growled low in his throat. Eyes blazing, he glared at his former friend. "Question, _Rei_."

The said person's eyes narrowed at his tone of voice, not liking what was being heard. "What?" Rei snapped.

"If you want me to so badly be dead instead of Bryan, then why the fuck did you try so hard to save my damn life?" Seeing the shocked look on the Chinese blader's face, Kai carried on. "I heard from others that you were trying so damn hard to save my life when we all got out of the building. Bryan was dead then, so if you want me dead so badly, why didn't you let me die then?" Kai's voice was low, dangerous even. There was a glint shining in his blood red orbs that seemed to see the world in a different light.

There was a pregnant silence that seemed to descend on the room in a suffocating fashion. Not a word was said as Kai and Rei battled each other in a glaring competition.

After what seemed like hours, Kai was snapped out of his trance-like state by a loud shout by a certain loudmouthed Japanese blader; Tyson Granger, the current world champion. Kai frowned. He hadn't known that there had been anyone else in the room.

_Man, I must be out of it. There aren't many times when I don't notice others' presence around my own. _

"Okay, I have had _enough_!!! Would you two stop all this stuff, like _NOW_!" The champ's dark eyes were burning in anger and frustration and Kai blinked. He had not seen Tyson like that, ever. The blader turned to Rei and Kai watched in shocked fascination as Tyson let loose.

"Rei! Why the hell did you say those things to Kai!? He may be a sourpuss, like most of the time," Kai sent a short glare in Tyson's direction, but it went unnoticed. "But Kai is our captain and our _friend_! You don't just go around telling your _friends_ that you wish they were dead! It's not right! What's gotten into you!?"

Rei's low voice spoke up after Tyson's rant. There was a hint of something foreign in the Nekojin's voice, but Kai couldn't pick what it was. "I don't think that anything has gotten into me, Tyson. I think that every person here is deluded. Kai isn't a damn saint and you all know it, so why are you all protecting him as if he was God himself!? He's a coldhearted prick and I hope that he rots in hell!"

With that, Rei glared at everyone in the room, grabbed the white and green Drigger blade from on the bedside table and stormed out of the room, elbowing past the shocked bladers in the doorway.

Kai watched him go, his crimson eyes narrowed with uncertainty and a hint of belief. It was picked up on and moments later, the Russian enigma felt himself being pulled forward, almost right off the hospital bed. He looked up and met a pair of bright, blue eyes that were partly shadowed by a flop of blonde hair. Spencer…

"Don't you even _start_ believing what Rei said, Kai! Rei had no right to say what he did! You _don't_ deserve to die. You're a great person, Kai and every single person in this room agrees with me. What ever Rei is on, he better come off it pretty damn quick before he loses not only his friends, but a few body parts too," the blonde growled. Kai heard murmurs of agreement from the doorway and looked up to see everyone nodding.

"Anyway," spoke a different voice. It was Ian. "The reason we're here is because we needed to sort out some aspects of _his_ funeral. We wanted your input, so would you want to help?"

Letting out a shuddering breath, Kai leant back against the headboard of the bed and nodded, closing his eyes. The fight with Rei had sapped him of all energy and all he wanted to do was sleep. Well, _he_ didn't want to, but his body did. The champion was still recovering from all his injuries and lately; he had needed a lot of sleep. Apparently, it was quite normal. Kai didn't think that sleeping almost twelve hours a day was anywhere _near_ normal, but he put up with it.

"I…" he began, drifting off. "Yeah I'll help…when I…when I've had some…some sleep…"

He was so tired. He just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. His whole body ached with pain – mental and physical. He just wanted to rest and not be woken by the same recurring nightmares that plagued his sleep endlessly. Was that too much to ask?

"You go to sleep, Kai. You need it. We'll handle Rei, 'kay?"

Kai vaguely recognised the voice as belonging to Spencer and nodded at the blonde's words. "Mmmm, 'kay…"

"Sleep well, Kai. You deserve that at least."

Just as he was drifting off, a sudden thought rushed into his mind. "Wait!" He bolted upright in bed and his crimson eyes darted around the room, finally stopping on the blonde near the door. "What…what about Tala? Is…is there anything new about the search?"

Spencer shook his head sadly and Kai hid his eyes from view using his slate hair. "Okay. Thanks anyway."

"Kai…"

"Forget it, Spence. Forget I ever mentioned Tala." With that said, Kai turned over onto his side and lay back down, his back now to the door and the bladers standing in it. It was plainly obvious that Kai didn't want to talk or acknowledge that they were there.

Closing his eyes, Kai heard the door to his room close with an audible click and sighed. His thoughts started to become muddled and suddenly he couldn't think straight; he was that tired.

Just as Kai was slipping off into the land of sleep, the door reopened with another click. Vaguely aware that someone was in the room, Kai moaned and rolled over and saw a silhouetted person standing by the door. He couldn't see very clearly and he struggled into a sitting position, but failed miserably. He was so tired; he just wanted to sleep forever.

It was only when the figure spoke that Kai realised that something was horribly wrong. In a flash of green light, that one sentence changed everything.

_"Drigger! Kill him!" _

END! 

**Well, I hope I haven't lost any readers from this . . . o.o But don't worry, there is an explanation for all this in a few chapters time!!! Never fear, planning is here! LOL**

**Till next time**

_DancerInTheDark101 _

**PS – Question? Does anyone else that reads Beyblade fanfiction like Death Note? I have just finished reading the manga and I love it! It would be great to have a chat with other Death Note/Beyblade fans! Thanks. **


	20. Sanction Of Fire: Letting Go

**Hay there everyone! First off, I am so terribly sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I've been so busy with exams, marching and the MCR concert (plus the dreaded writer's block) that I haven't managed to type up another chapter till now. **

**Secondly, the MCR concert was nothing short of WICKED!!!!! Gerard was extremely sexy and seriously, he sounds almost even BETTER live than on the CD! I had a really good time (even the part where I was on my feet for thirteen hours straight –sweatdrop-). We queued for close to five hours in the pouring rain, but it was SO worth it. If any of you love MCR out there and have the opportunity to see them live, do it! I recommend it highly. When I get the pix from the concert, I shall put links to them in my profile :)**

**Anyways, thanks for all the support you have given me so far. For this, here is chapter 2!**

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INNER FURY OF FIRE 

**DancerInTheDark101**

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**INNER FURY OF FIRE **

**Chapter 20: Sanction of Fire: Letting Go**

_Closing his eyes, Kai heard the door to his room close with an audible click and sighed. His thoughts started to become muddled and suddenly he couldn't think straight; he was that tired. _

_Just as Kai was slipping off into the land of sleep, the door reopened with another click. Vaguely aware that someone was in the room, Kai moaned and rolled over and saw a silhouetted person standing by the door. He couldn't see very clearly and he struggled into a sitting position, but failed miserably. He was so tired; he just wanted to sleep forever. _

_It was only when the figure spoke that Kai realised that something was horribly wrong. In a flash of green light, that one sentence changed everything. _

"_Drigger! Kill him!"_

_----------_

Voltaire Hiwatari stared at the large LCD screen in front of him that was replaying a rather disturbing scene. A grim smile was plastered on his features as his cold eyes locked onto a familiar figure shown in the middle of the screen. The image was blurry and looked down upon the figure from far away, but one thing was very distinctive about the figure: his flaming red hair.

According to the live-feed, Tala Ivanov sat, shackled to a cold, stone floor in the middle of what looked like a cell.

The CEO of BIOVOLT's attention snapped up as a few other figures stormed into the room and grabbed the redhead's pale arms. Yanking them behind him, Tala was forced to his feet in one not-so-smooth action. His actions were slow and jerky, indicating the fact that he was obviously hurt and sore. Voltaire laughed at the sight of his former employee in such a rough shape. It served him right for disobeying direct orders.

There were only a handful of people in the world that Voltaire Hiwatari fully trusted. Boris Balkov had never been one of them. The man had always had too much to say and too much of an opinion. When the indigo-haired man had been crushed to death, it would have been a lie to say that he had felt sorry for the man.

Another was Tala Ivanov. Once one of the most promising beybladers BIOVOLT had ever recruited, Tala had had a lot to live for. His natural blading skills had been enhanced greatly to the point of perfection, fame bestowed on him and eventually he was treated like a living god to everyone who knew him. However, that all changed when Kai had came into the picture…

With the years that Kai had been living in Japan and out of the picture had given Tala the time and concentration to rise to the top. His childhood best friend was gone and all the redhead had to concentrate on was his beyblading and how to become the best. It had worked too: Tala had become a household name in the world of beyblading and Voltaire felt as though he was finally getting somewhere.

But yet again, Kai reared his ugly head and that was things started to fall apart.

Glaring at the screen murderously, Voltaire watched gleefully as Tala was shoved from side to side, his head lolling onto his shoulder. The teen was barely conscious.

It had been a very strategic plan that had finally brought the blading prodigy into his grasp. The doctor: Doctor Leory had befriended everyone and had become both Tala and his grandson's doctor. While the dead of night was still upon the hospital, Dr. Leory had gone to Tala's room to supposedly give him his medication, only to inject the boy with heavy sedatives and kidnap him. Two hours later, Tala Ivanov was in the hands of the mass-murder Voltaire Hiwatari . . .

Getting sick of watching Tala being thrown around like a rag doll, the elder man turned to another screen to see what was going on in that part of the world. The screen was bathed in an eerie green/black light that only came with using a night vision camera.

Towards the back of the room that was evident on the screen, there was a bright green glow. Voltaire frowned slightly at the light, but the frown soon morphed into a full-blown sadistic grin as a sentence reached his ears.

"_Drigger! Kill him!"_

A white beyblade shot towards a sleeping figure that was his traitorous grandson, Kai Hiwatari. The beyblade shot upwards and smashed into the wooden frame of the bed. That wasn't what was supposed to happen. The blade was supposed to have smashed into his grandson's face and killed him.

"_Drigger! What are you doing? KILL HIM!"_ came the frantic voice of Rei Kon, Kai's supposed 'friend'. The boy's bitbeast wasn't obviously doing what he wanted it to. That was going to have to be dealt with.

There was frantic moving in his grandson's hospital room and Voltaire frowned again. At the sight of Kai getting out of the bed, he clenched his fists. Everything was _not_ going to plan. Kai was supposed to be long dead, not standing up and getting ready to fight his 'friend'.

Voltaire could see the world-class blader's crimson eyes flare up in anger and confusion. He couldn't help but laugh. His grandson had _no_ idea what really had been going on since the collapse of the BBA training facility and what his 'friends' had been up to.

He had been very surprised when Rei Kon of all people had found him and approached him about getting rid of a certain _someone._ Voltaire had thought that the teen was very close with his grandson, but the more they talked, the more the multi-billionaire liked the Chinese blader.

The kid had come up with some brilliant plans that surpassed Boris' by a million years. Of course, the boy had been paid significantly high, that was only natural. What Voltaire found the most amusing, was the fact that Rei Kon didn't want to take the money.

---The only thing I want from you in return for my services is the satisfaction of seeing him dead---

Voltaire just hoped that the damn kid managed to kill his meddlesome grandson this time, otherwise Kai's security would be stepped up a few notches and it would most definitely be harder to rid the world of Kai Hiwatari.

There was no one else in his grandson's room apart from Kai himself and Rei, so it was going to be very interesting as to what was going to happen. The camera quality was decent enough that Voltaire could see the shocked expression flitting over Kai's face and the look of complete menace on the Chinese's.

Amused, the elder man continued to watch the scene play out in front of him. Placing his hands on the blanket covering his useless legs, Voltaire changed the camera angle and watched as Rei launched Drigger at Kai again. Smirking, Voltaire egged on the tiger bitbeast.

"_You can't beat me, Kai! I'm going to kill you!"_

"_Rei? What the fuck are you on? Kill me? Are you out of your mind?"_

The conversation between the two ex-friends reached his ears and Voltaire smirked. The tone of his grandson's voice was very amusing. He was obviously very angry at the other boy, but at the same time confused as well. It made for a very interesting voice.

"Out of my mind? No, Kai I'm not. I've just come to realise what I should have realised a long time ago. You need to go. You're a pain in the ass, no matter how 'great' everyone else in the world thinks you are. I hate you and I will never forgive you."

"_Forgive me?" _spoke Kai, his red eyes blazing in the darkness. _"What have I done to you? Nothing! You need to get off your fucking high horse and face reality, Rei. I haven't done a single fucking thing to you, so just leave me alone! I've got better things to do, like finding my missing best friend!"_

Then Kai collapsed back onto the bed. He was still weak from his injuries and exhausted. _Perfect_, Voltaire thought. The weaker his grandson was – the easier for Rei to kill him.

"_Yes! I will __**never**__ forgive you for what happened! It's all your fault! You may not have done it with your hands, but it was still because of you that it happened! If I had never met you – if you had never been born – this wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't be facing the things I have to face now! I. HATE. YOU!"_

Kai frowned from his sitting position on his bed. It looked as though he was wondering what Rei was on about. Voltaire also figured that his grandson was wondering why their shouting had not alerted any medical staff or guards. That was because he had sorted all of that out. No one would be disturbing the two teens that night.

"I'm sorry, Rei . . . but I have no idea what the hell you are on about. I don't know what I've done to you to make you want to kill me, but stop it! I'm not your enemy, Rei!" Kai's voice rose a few notches and Voltaire smirked. His grandson was becoming more and more frustrated, which was sure to get him distracted. Everything seemed to be going in his favour . . . 

Except for the fact that Rei's bitbeast wasn't obeying the command to kill Kai. Every time the boy had ordered Drigger to attack and destroy the slate-haired enigma, the white tiger refused to budge from his spot, spinning in front of Rei's feet. It was starting to get on Voltaire's nerves.

Activating the microphone placed on the desk to his right, Voltaire tuned it to the frequency that was Rei's earpiece.

"Rei! What the hell is your damn bitbeast playing at? I want Kai dead and I want him dead, now! Stop playing games and get it over and done with."

On the TV, Voltaire saw Rei frown and nod his head slightly, knowing that he was watching. Then, suddenly, the screen he was looking into erupted in a wave of grey static before fading into complete darkness. Something wasn't right.

Growling with impatience and rage, the CEO of BIOVOLT once again activated the microphone and tuned into Rei's frequency.

"Rei? What the hell just happened? Why can't I see anything?" There was no response. "REI! Tell me what the fuck is going on!"

Then the microphone went from dead silence to a crackling static. Voltaire was _furious_. He had been played and now he had no idea whether Rei was still on his side, or if he had just been on Kai's side the whole damn time!

---

Kai clenched his fists as Rei approached him. He had no idea what the Chinese blader was planning, since it had been quiet in the room for the past few minutes. Except for their breathing, Rei's footsteps and the quiet humming of Drigger spinning, the room was deathly quiet.

"Kai . . . "

"What?" Kai snapped, not up for Rei's mind games. The teen was obviously his enemy – well, not his friend any more – and he knew that he had to tread carefully. Otherwise, he could sign his own death warrant.

"I don't care about what you think of me anymore, Kai. What I'm about to do, I do it of my own free will. I have not been influenced by anyone else, not even your grandfather-"

"So my grandfather _does_ have something to do with this," Kai interrupted, "I knew it."

"Yes maybe he does, but he is not the reason I am doing this."

Narrowing his crimson eyes, Kai glared at his former friend. "Then why_ are_ you trying to kill me?" he snapped, not even trying to hide his anger.

"Because . . . "

" . . . Because of you, my entire family is dead."

Kai couldn't have been more shocked had Rei stabbed him. The Nekojin's _entire_ family was dead? But how was it _his_ fault that they were all dead?

_/flashback/_

_Rei watched as Mr. Dickenson placed the DVD into the player. Apparently the DVD had arrived only a few hours earlier, addressed to him. There had been no return address, nor a sender name. _

_As the DVD started up Rei found himself unconsciously moving closer towards the large, flat screen TV. _

_A fuzzy image appeared from the blackness of the screen and as Rei watched, it slowly became an image of his hometown in China. Puzzled beyond belief, the blader put all his attention on the voice speaking._

_The voice was deep and boomed through the speakers like some kind of twisted god. In some ways, Rei felt as though the speaker _was_ god. There was some kind of eerie feeling surrounding the DVD and Rei had a feeling that whatever he was about to see wasn't good at all. _

_  
After the image of his village fizzled away, another image appeared and Rei felt the tears start to sting his eyes. Gasping, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Surely this was all some kind of sick, twisted joke?_

Red.

_Red was the dominant colour on the screen now. Red of the sunset, red of someone's hair, red of blood . . ._

_But the thing that stood out the most to Rei was the two, small pinpricks of violent blue staring from in between the hideous amounts of brilliant red. Unable to avert his gaze from the awful scene before him, Rei stared into the pair of unseeing blue eyes – the eyes of his dead younger sister._

_Black hair painted with blood splayed out from his sister's head, singular strands falling across her deathly pale face. _

_Staring at his sister's face, Rei gasped and chocked at the sight of the large red slit running horizontally across her slim throat. He clenched his fists and fought against the crystalline tears that threatened to fall. His sister had been murdered._

_A few other pictures showed up of other members of his now-deceased family before the still shots changed into a horrifying moving image. _

_A single tear dripped down his cheek as Rei saw the mutilated bodies of his family members. Some of his relatives had been decapitated, or limbs had been severed. Sometimes, there only just a single hole in the middle of their foreheads. _

"_Oh god . . . " Rei whispered just before he doubled over and threw up. A hand landed on his back and rubbed it in soothing circles. _

"_There, there, Rei. Let it all out, my boy. Don't hold all your emotions in." It was Mr. Dickenson. _

"_They're . . . they're all dead!" he exclaimed, chocking on the last word. "Dead . . . "_

_Suddenly, the same voice that had started speaking at the beginning of the DVD started talking again. _

_: Hello there, Rei Kon – son of Ling and Jorge Kon, brother of Ching-lei Kon. I regret to tell you that unfortunately, your family has all passed away tragically_

_: You wont have any clue as to who I am, but I will let you in on a little secret, shall I? The reason that your entire family is dead, that reason is none other than your supposed 'friend' Kai Hiwatari . . ._

_: And you must be wondering how your friend has anything to do with the slaughter of your entire family? Well, I'll let you in on another secret . . . _

_: That bitbeast he still has – Black Dranzer? Well, what you don't know is the fact that his beloved Black Dranzer escaped from his possession a few days ago . . . the phoenix possessed a few people and began the slaughter of your family, also putting Max Tate's mother and Tyson Granger's grandfather in hospital._

_: He must hate you a lot, Rei – Kai, that is. I mean, it was _his_ bitbeast that murdered your mother, father and sister, but what happened to your other friend's families? Only minor injuries and __hospitalisation__. Think on my words, young Rei. Kai Hiwatari is not to be trusted. He is a devious, dark boy who only cares about his own pain and suffering, causing more pain for others to make his own seem not so bad. Don't trust him._

_With those last words, the voice-over stopped and the room was plunged into a deathly silence, only the pictures of Rei's dead family playing over and over again on the television. _

_Rei couldn't believe it. Had the person on the DVD been telling the truth? Had Kai really let Black Dranzer escape? _

"_Rei?" spoke a quiet, reserved voice. It was a voice that seemed to be treading on very careful ground, not wanting to upset the newly orphaned boy. "I-I'm sorry . . . "_

_Fists clenched into balls, Rei grit his teeth as he saw the pale face of his deceased sister once again. He didn't deserve this. He hadn't done anything to deserve the pain running through his veins. He didn't want the pain, didn't want the anguish, didn't want the loneliness . . . _

"_I'm going to kill him." The sharp, __agonised__ words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them, but for some reason, Rei didn't care. Kai was going to pay for letting the dark phoenix get free and cause havoc in his life. The Russian teen had power and he had let the power get to his head, consequences be damned. _

"_Kill who? Rei?" Mr. Dickenson's voice was trembling slightly as he spoke. Whether it was from rage or fear, Rei had no clue. He just wanted to __**kill him**__"Rei? KILL WHO?" _

_Not answering the head of the BBA, Rei stood, amber eyes blazing with an inner fire of fury. Consequences be damned, he was going to kill Kai Hiwatari. _

_/end flashback/_

"What? Black Dranzer? Rei?"

There was no answer from the raven-haired teen and Kai backed up a little. He was starting to get worried. No one had come running at the sound of their shouting and Kai realised that he had nothing to protect himself against the boy in front of him. Normally, he would just use his fists to fight, but there was no way he would stand any chance against Rei in the condition he was in. It was suicide.

"Well Kai, what are you going to do now, eh? You've got nothing to protect yourself and you're too weak to fight." There was a hint of maniacal laughter in Rei's normally clam tone and Kai felt a slight wave of fear rise in his bones.

"I did nothing to your family, Rei. Black Dranzer has been with me at all times, so I don't know how she could have somehow killed your family."

A glaring contest ensued between the two former friends, Kai's furious – and slightly glazed – crimson orbs and Rei's cool and deadly amber ones locked in fierce battle of wits. Did they trust the other still? Was the other telling the truth? Were they going to die?

There was only silence from Rei.

"Let me ask you one thing, before you kill me, Rei." Kai's stern voice floated through the room.

"Why would I kill your family and let you experience the pain of losing everyone," the next part of his sentence was whispered, "When I too, experienced the same thing, all those years ago?"

Kai saw Rei's amber eyes widen fractionally at his whispered words. The Nekojin obviously didn't know that his entire family had been murdered when he was only a few years old. Kai had grown up without parents, whereas Rei had lived his life until now with loving, doting parents who made his life worth living.

After what seemed an eternity, Rei's eyes narrowed into slits and he glared at Kai. "Who cares, Kai. That must have happened, what, ten-eleven years ago? That was then, this is now. At least I wasn't the one who killed your family. I thought that you were my friend! _How could you do this to me!?_"

The slate-haired teen was getting angry now. He didn't have any idea why Rei was being so damn stubborn. He hadn't done _anything_ to the Nekojin's family.

He was about to say something to Rei when said person called out to his bitbeast again. "Drigger! I want you to finish him . . . now!"

The spinning white beyblade at Rei's feet suddenly came to life, glowing a luminous green. Rei's amber eyes glowed in the green light, giving them an evil glint.

Kai tried to back up a little as Drigger spun dangerously close to him, but found that his legs were pushed up right against his bed. He couldn't get any further away.

For once in his life, Kai wanted the rest of his team to be there. He had never wanted to hear Tyson's loud voice so much in his life.

God, why am I so damn scared? Since when did I get scared? Oh yeah, that's right. Since I was hospitalised and my teammate decided to kill me. Dranzer . . . help me.

"Scared, Kai? You should be," grinned Rei. The teen advanced slowly on the injured blader and Kai clenched his fists tighter, his knuckles going white with the strain.

Suddenly, a wave of tiredness hit Kai like a ton of bricks. His eyes slipped closed slightly before he managed to wrench them open again. God, he was so damn tired, but there was no way in hell he was going to fall asleep with Rei in the room.

Knees buckling, Kai fell onto the bed, breathing hard. The room was spinning out of control, Rei's golden eyes pinpricks of evil glinting in the partial darkness. Drigger was a spinning blur of white on the ground and Kai could barely make out whether it was spinning in one spot or roaming around the room.

Shaking his head, the enigma tried to focus his sight on Rei and stop the spinning. Nothing happened and Kai realised that he was just too injured and exhausted to resist the darkness enveloping him any longer. At first, the adrenalin rush had returned some of his strength, allowing him to stand and argue with the Nekojin, but now . . .

. . . Now he had nothing left to give. His breathing was shallow and laboured, his eyesight spinning out of control. All the blader wanted to do was sleep.

"I'm sorry, everyone . . . Tala . . . I tried, I really did . . . "

Just as he was about to dive into the darkness surrounding him, Kai heard something he thought he would never hear again. A loud screech reached his ears and he gasped.

"Dranzer?"

Ever since he had awoken from his coma, Kai hadn't been able to contact the fiery phoenix. He was sure that she was gone. But now, was she really back?

: Yes, young one :

"You're back? For good?"

Dranzer chirped. : Yes, Kai :

Kai smiled slightly and then broke off in a coughing fit. He felt a burn from his pocket and saw Dranzer return to the blue blade residing there. He gasped lightly as a burning feeling settled in his chest. Wondering what it was, Kai opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again as he felt strength flow into his limbs. Dranzer was sending him some of her strength.

"Thank you," he whispered to his faithful companion.

Somewhat stronger, Kai looked up and straight into the eyes of his enemy. Rei's gold eyes widened slightly, but otherwise his expression stayed impassive.

"I'm sorry to say this, Rei, but you're not killing me any time soon. I don't care what you think and how you regard me because I know none of it is true. All I want to do is get better and find my best friend." There was a slight pause in his speech as he pulled out a rip chord and launched Dranzer. "Now, go Dranzer!"

"Drigger!"

The two blades clashed together in a hail of sparks. Kai's blue blade pushed back the white one belonging to Rei. Throwing up a hand to protect himself from the sparks, Kai ordered Dranzer to evade Drigger's Gatling Claw attack whilst preparing to attack with Blazing Gigs Tempest.

Many fire-fuelled feathers shot from seemingly nowhere as Dranzer performed one of her signature moves. The dazzling red feathers shot towards Drigger, smacking into the ground and creating a wall of fire. Drigger zoomed between the falling feathers, only occasionally being hit by one.

As soon as the feathers stopped falling, a great vortex of crimson flames erupted from the blue blade. The heat shot up in the small hospital room to the point of almost unbearable and Kai felt himself start to sweat.

A large bolt of green lightning shot out from the white blade and ripped towards Dranzer. It crackled with the power that was laced through the particles and as it continued towards the blue object before his feet, Kai saw smaller green bolts of lightning separate from the main bolt. Seconds later, the five bolts changed shapes into the heads of five tigers.

The tigers converged on Dranzer and Kai yelled out to his phoenix. "Dranzer! Evade and defend!"

Rei yelled out to his bitbeast at the same time as Kai, equally as determined and equally as strong. "Drigger! Five Tiger Claw!"

Bracing for impact, Kai threw a pale arm to protect his face and eyes. Moments later, there was a loud explosion and a bright green flash that faded into a brilliant white. He felt Dranzer fly past him and smash into the wall with a loud boom and winced. Since when had Rei gotten so good?

"Come on, Dranzer!" he yelled encouragingly to the fire phoenix. There was a slight flash from the bitchip and Kai knew that it was time to call in the reinforcements.

"You're not going to win, Kai. Face it," Rei taunted, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Think again, Rei. I'm calling out the big shots now. Let's see how you handle . . . Black Dranzer! Arise!"

A piercing shriek filled the small room, accompanied by a strange dark light that dove the room into complete darkness. The only thing visible was the light coming from the bitbeasts.

Kai felt Rei tense at the sight of the bitbeast that supposedly killed his family. The dark aura surrounding the black phoenix was almost to the point of suffocation and Rei choked back a cry of fear. If the phoenix had killed his family, what was it doing to do to him?

Despite the inner turmoil raging in him, Rei's voice was cool, calm and collected. "You think that bringing out your beloved dark phoenix will help you in any way? Dream on, Kai. Just because once up on a time, Black Dranzer was the 'evil' of the world doesn't mean that she's the strongest bitbeast around anymore."

Kai let a smirk tug at his normally stoic lips. "I know. Black Dranzer isn't the strongest bitbeast around anymore." Letting that info sink in, Kai watched as Rei blinked a few times in astonishment. "Black Dranzer isn't the strongest . . . Dranzer is."

Rei growled at those words, setting Drigger on another attack wave. The Nekojin was starting to get impatient.

Perfect. Now that he's losing control, I can finally knock some sense into him.

"Dranzer! Black Dranzer! Death and Rebirth!"

It was his ultimate attack. Rei hadn't seen the attack when he had used it against Brooklyn and Zeus when he was trying to find the trapped bladers.

Black Dranzer rose from his blade and flew towards Drigger in a rush of darkening light. A loud screech left her being as an arrow as dark as her feathers hot out from her body and headed towards Drigger, embedding in his heart. Drigger screamed in agony as red flames tipped with black erupted from within the tiger beast. Consuming the tiger from the inside out, Drigger writhed in agony while Rei watched on in morbid fascination.

The two bitbeasts then began to fight again. Entangled in a deadly dance, both beasts fought to gain the upper hand, with Drigger still screaming from the darkness spilling from his pores. Kai slumped as the two fought. He knew the risks of using the attack when he was so weak, but he didn't know what else to do. It was his last resort.

Black Dranzer rammed into Drigger, sending the white tiger flying backwards, crashing into hospital equipment. Flashes of black lightning overpowered those green bolts of Drigger and sent them flying past the tiger, into the ground. Shockwaves shook the floor and expensive equipment from the clashing of the powerful beasts.

Kai watched on in anticipation as Black Dranzer started to weaken. The dark phoenix wasn't let free very often, so she tired quite quickly, which was where the next part of the attack came in. 'Rebirth.'

'Rebirth' was the most dangerous part of the attack in many ways, one being the fact that it sapped the user of dangerous amounts of strength. Kai knew that in his condition, he wouldn't be able to give the dark phoenix much energy and strength at all, but he was willing to try. Another reason Kai didn't use the attack very often was because of the amount of destruction it caused.

Once Black Dranzer had been re-energised, her power seemed to increase tenfold and it took more and more energy for him to control the dark beast and as his strength had just been sapped considerably from 'Rebirth' he didn't have much left to control Black Dranzer. But it was just one price to pay for such a powerful attack.

Panting from exhaustion, Kai called upon his ever-faithful fire companion. "Dranzer, help her out! REBIRTH!"

Dranzer screeched as Kai gave her his remaining strength, which in turn she replenished and channelled into Black Dranzer. A scream of pain echoed from the twin phoenixes, which was shortly joined by Kai's own scream of pain. He felt so weak and tired, he could barely stand and his vision was starting to waver from exhaustion.

The bright light that accompanied the part of the attack flashed brilliantly and Kai slumped to the ground, his legs unable to hold him up any longer. Gasping for breath, he looked up to see both phoenixes replenished and glowing with renewed power. Smiling slightly, the enigma called out to them.

"Dranzer. Black Dranzer. Finish this!"

Twin screams erupted from the phoenixes as they flew towards the now stationary tiger bitbeast. Rei was standing behind Drigger, mouth open wide in shock.

Feeling his eyelids dropping, Kai coughed slightly and tried to fight the darkness closing in on his vision. He seriously doubted he was going to see the end of the battle.

An arrow of fire shot out from Dranzer at the same time as an arrow of darkness shot out from Black Dranzer and they merged to create a fire phoenix tainted by darkness that rushed towards the white tiger of earth.

A blinding light of red and black hit green and chaos ensued. Kai felt the heat from his phoenixes' attack melt at least a few pieces of equipment while Drigger shook the earth with his earthquakes. The slate-haired teen knew that he should probably get out of the room before it collapsed or something, but he had no strength to do such a feat.

A shocking conclusion came to mind as he leaned against his bed. By using that attack, he had just accomplished the task Rei had set out to do. He wasn't going to make it out of the room before it became a raging inferno. He was going to perish by the very attack he created. Rei wasn't going to have to do anything but leave him where he was while he got out.

_I guess this is it. I'm finally going to die, by my own hand none the less. I'm so tired. Maybe dying is a good thing? I will finally get to see my parents again. I can't even begin to count the amount of times I've almost died since the BEGA tournament began. Does that mean I'm destined to die? What about Tala? He's still missing? Is he even alive anymore? Am I just kidding myself by searching for him?_

_It doesn't matter anymore anyway. There's no way I'm going to make it out of here alive, Rei's going to leave me here to burn. I guess I kind of deserve this death though. I mean, I've been so cruel to some people my entire life and I've done some pretty damn bad things too._

_Well, this is goodbye . . . I don't really want to die. No matter how much I say I deserve it, I don't want to leave. Even if I do end up being alone in the world, I don't want to leave it. I have so many dreams left to do and accomplish, like finding my best friend. But I'm so tired. I'm so weary; I just want to continue sleeping for eternity._

_Dranzer? Will you help me? Will you help me sleep? Will you help my finally rest in peace? I know it's hard, letting go of everything you've wished for, but should I just sleep and forget all of this? What do I do? Dranzer . . . help . . ._

_So shut your eyes_

_Kiss me goodbye_

_And sleep_

_Just sleep_

_'Cause the hardest part_

_Is letting go_

_Of your dreams . . ._

**

* * *

**

Tala Ivanov winced as the rope dug into his wrists. He had completely lost track of time since he had been taken. All he knew was that was in a lot of pain and had been for quite some time. He had been dragged around like a rag doll for quite some time before finally being thrown into a small cell. After that, a 'doctor' had checked him over before taking out rope and tying him to the damn bed. Now, here he was, lying on a thin mattress on a metal bed dressed in nothing more than a rag. His wrists were tied above him in such a way that he couldn't roll over onto his side, so his back was beginning to hurt.

Sighing, the redhead found his thoughts wandering back to his best friend. He wondered if Kai was still okay, if he was still living. The last time he had seen the teen was when he told Wolborg to help Dranzer resurrect him. So technically, the last time he had seen his best friend was when he was dead.

A hacking cough gripped him and Tala winced at the sound his pathetic body was making. His body was still recuperating from the bullet wound and all the injuries from the blading stadium and to him, it was taking far too long to heal.

_Wolborg . . ._

The Russian captive hadn't heard anything from or about his wolf bitbeast since the capture. He had painstakingly tried to contact the ice beast, to no avail. It was as though he had either dropped off the face of the earth, or couldn't reply back. Either way, it was scaring him. He just wanted to hear even a word from the wolf. But no, there was nothing.

"I hear that he's been admitted to the hospital with serious burns? I never thought the kid would have it in him to kill Hiwatari. Yeah I know, who would've thought?"

Tala felt as though someone had dropped him in a shark infested bucket of ice cold water. Kai wasn't . . . he couldn't be . . . dead?

"Yeah, the kid's name was kinda weird too. What was it? Kon? Rei Kon. That's it."

Rei Kon? Tala almost gasped. The guards standing outside his cell were saying that Rei tried to, no – kill, Kai? The enigma wasn't dead, was he? He couldn't be.

Tala wanted to cry. He wanted to go home, to see his friends, to see his family. Kai was gone . . . dead. He wasn't coming back. Choking back a sob, the Russian teen stared at the dirty ceiling, wondering.

Wondering what Kai would think if he just gave up and died, wondering what Kai would think if he just gave up on life. What would he think?

_He wouldn't like it. He would kick me up the ass and tell me to stop being a wuss and try, try to live and try to keep on searching, living._

_Why? Why did this have to turn out the way it has? Why is always us who suffer?_

A lone tear trailed as Tala thought of who is best friend had been. Kai had been a strong, silent friend. He had been the rock of the group, keeping everyone together when it got too tough. He was the best friend anyone could have ever asked for and because of that, Tala decided to keep on living – to live for the memory of his friend.

He was going to live for Kai. Live in the memory of a great person who never deserved the life he had been given. He was going to live to protect Kai's memory, protect the one person who, more than anyone, deserved to be remembered . . .

_I am not afraid to keep on living_

_I am not afraid to walk this world alone_

_Nothing you can say can stop me going home . . .

* * *

_

**END!**

**Whoo, another chapter down and gone. Hopefully this was up to standard, but I'm really not sure. Please give me back some feedback, it's been so long since I've heard from any of you:)**

**Thanks again for all your support and I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. **

**See yaz all next time **

**  
**_**DancerInTheDark101**_


	21. This Is It: The End

**EDITED: JULY 10, 2012**

**I have come to conclusion that I will most probably never write another chapter for this story again. It has been far too long, and I have lost all motivation to write this story. However, it sort of does have an ending, so I have decided to cut the last few chapters out and leave this chapter as the last one. **

**I know there will be parts that are left completely open and unresolved... I MAY END UP PUTTING IN AN EPILOGUE AT SOME POINT TO TIE UP THE LOOSE ENDS. No guarantee though.**

**Thanks for all the support all of you have given me over the years. I might still end up writing for the Beyblade fandom with my other stories, but I think it's safe to say this one is done.**

**Thanks again**

**-Rachel**

* * *

**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

_**DancerInTheDark101**_

* * *

**INNER FURY OF FIRE**

**Chapter 21: This Is It - The End**

A lone tear trailed as Tala thought of who is best friend had been. Kai had been a strong, silent friend. He had been the rock of the group, keeping everyone together when it got too tough. He was the best friend anyone could have ever asked for and because of that, Tala decided to keep on living – to live for the memory of his friend.

He was going to live for Kai. Live in the memory of a great person who never deserved the life he had been given. He was going to live to protect Kai's memory, protect the one person who, more than anyone, deserved to be remembered . . .

_I am not afraid to keep on living_

_I am not afraid to walk this world alone_

_Nothing you can say can stop me going home . . ._

**One month later . . .**

A heart-wrenching scream flew through the half deserted halls of the underground prison, echoing off the stone and into the souls of all present. Of course, there were some so damned, that not even the poignant screams could reach their blackened hearts.

One of those men was none other than Voltaire Hiwatari. His cold eyes glittered with glee as he heard the same scream rip the silent air that he had been hearing continuously for the past month. Some called him sadistic for it, but to Voltaire, the screams were a symphony of harmonious music to his ears. Those who dared call him sadistic for it joined the screaming symphony.

Closing his eyes, the elder man pictured the person who the screams belonged to and what he would look like. After having his little imagery fantasy, the man looked over to a screen and grinned maliciously at the sight the screen beheld.

Blood red hair hung in strings matted to a pale face with a substance the same colour as the hair. Blue lips that contrasted vibrantly with the red trembled slightly as the person struggled to warm himself up and ignore the pain wracking his body. Dull grey eyes – ghosts of their former icy glory – stared off into a fantasy world where there was no cold, no pain and no death.

The same dull grey eyes suddenly screwed up in pain and another scream was released from between a pair of blue, pursed lips. The red-haired teen wrapped his astonishingly thin arms around an equally thin torso in what seemed like an attempt to quell the pain. Voltaire smirked, his cold eyes flashing in entertainment.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to the surveillance room. A clipped 'yes' slipped out of Voltaire's mouth and the door swung open to reveal a tall, sturdy man. A large scar ran the length of his face, slicing straight through his eyelid and down past his cheekbone.

"Sir," spoke the man, his voice deep and reeking authority. "The task has been completed."

Voltaire nodded, his pleasure in those words evident on the elder man's face. Finally, his plans had gone exactly how he wanted them to go and now . . . he could finally break the frail teen shaking on the surveillance screen.

_You can't watch this in movie theatres_ was his thoughts as Tala Ivanov curled up on his self, wishing he was dead . . .

_I am afraid to keep on living,_

_I am afraid to walk this world alone,_

_I'm never going to make it home . . ._

Tala fought back a tear as the pain of several broken ribs assaulted his body. Wrapping his arms around his chest, he cringed at the feel of the broken ribs. Instead of his chest being flat and smooth like it should have been, there were raised ridges and bumps decorating the middle part of his torso. One rib even felt like it was about to rip through his skin.

He couldn't believe it. He was really gone. No miracle cures from Dranzer or Black Dranzer around this time. Kai Hiwatari was really dead. The slate-haired, crimson-eyed beyblade enigma was gone and he was never coming back.

It had been a month since he had heard the terrible news of his best friend's death. Over the next few weeks, Tala had heard guards talking about the incident and he had found out that Rei had perished too. Apparently, he had been burned so badly by the fire started by Kai's beloved bitbeasts that only an hour after being taken into surgery, the injuries took their toll and the Chinese teen died. Tala had no idea why Dranzer and Black Dranzer would start a fire that would end up being the result of their master's death. It was just not heard of – bitbeasts killing their masters.

The funeral for his friend had been only a week after his death and Tala had been upset about the fact that he had missed it. He had even missed Bryan's funeral. He didn't even know if anyone thought that he was still alive. Somehow, Tala doubted that anyone even cared. Two of the world's most sought after and talented beybladers were dead; the world wouldn't really be worried about _one_ missing blader.

Tala let a small smile grace his features as a sudden memory hit him. It was one of him and Kai when they were younger, blading together.

_/flashback/_

_Crimson eyes narrowed in concentration, slate hair whipping in front of said eyes as the wind picked up. A beyblade and launcher were held out in front of the small boy with crimson eyes as he readied for battle. Across the beydish stood another small boy. This boy, however, had flaming red hair and icy blue eyes that were also narrowed in concentration. He too, had a beyblade held out in front of him._

"_Three, two, one . . . let it RIP!" yelled the boys at the same time, wrenching back their arms and launching their beyblades simultaneously._

_The two blades – one blue, the other grey – slammed into each other with frightening force. They were both flung away towards the edge of the beydish and spun there, wobbling slightly._

_Then, the blue one shot forward, making a beeline for the grey one. "Dranzer, attack Wolborg!"_

"_Nah uh!" screamed the other boy, grinning. "Wolborg! Dodge!" Just as the blue blade was about to slam into the other beyblade, the grey blade quickly swept out of the way only just being nicked by his opponent's beyblade._

"_Aw, Tala!" cried the slate-haired boy, grinning also. "You were supposed to let Dranzer hit him!"_

"_Nah! Your flame-grilled chicken was _no way_ allowed to hit Wolborg! That's just a big no-no!"_

_Crimson eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in slight anger. "Dranzer is _not_ a flame-grilled chicken! Wolborg is a weak wolf-Popsicle though!"_

_As he was insulting his friend's bitbeast, Kai was also thinking of a plan to beat the flame-haired boy. The result came to him very quickly and Kai smirked (a smirk which would become a famous trademark of the enigma in later years)._

"_Dranzer, finish this! Volcano Emission!"_

_At the request, the phoenix let out a high-pitched call and swept upwards and out of the blue beyblade in all her magnificent glory. Red, orange and gold feathers glowed in the afternoon sunlight, almost blinding the two boys._

_Nodding to her master, Dranzer tucked in her wings and dived at the grey blade, which housed the fearless ice wolf, Wolborg. When the wolf didn't surface, Dranzer gave another yell and formed a ball of fire around herself as she plummeted towards the ground and the grey beyblade spinning on it. A few centimetres from the spinning mass of grey, Dranzer pulled up slightly and let the fireball of power slam into the waiting blade, sending it flying._

_Both boys watched as the grey blade was flung out of the beydish and on to the grass to the side._

_The crimson-eyed boy, who went by the name of Kai, smirked at his victory but the smirk dropped as he saw his friend's face._

"_Tala?"_

_The other boy looked up, tears threatening to spill. "Why can I never beat you, Kai? Why?"_

"_I dunno, Tal," whispered the boy. "But I can tell you _this:_ someday, you will beat me! I promise! You just have to stay strong and practice lots, kay?"_

_Tala nodded, his blue eyes shining somewhat. "Okay, but only if you promise me one thing, Kai."_

_Kai bent down to pick up his still spinning blade and nodded. "Yeah, what?"_

"_You have to always be my friend . . . even when I beat you at the championships!" The red-haired boy started laughing at his own words._

"_Okay. I promise."_

_/end flashback/_

Thinking about beyblading, Tala realised that the final of the Justice Five tournament was coming up very shortly. Tyson was going to have to battle Brooklyn soon, only a month away and with everything that had happened, Tala doubted that the teen had been training much.

Tyson was going to lose. Brooklyn was strong, Kai had only_ just_ managed to beat the nature-loving teen and he hadn't come out unscathed at all. That was when everything had started to go downhill. Kai had gone missing and then found again, beybladers had been held hostage, Bryan had died, Kai had practically died, BIOVOLT was getting stronger, he was kidnapped and then . . . then Rei had gone berserk and killed his own teammate, losing his own life in the process.

It was just all too much and Tala doubted how much more he could handle. Between his team and the BBA Revolution, there were three dead and one missing. The captain of BBA Revolutions was dead and he was missing/presumed dead. It wasn't looking good. Tala doubted how much the rest of the world could handle.

He just wished that someone got the guts to find Voltaire Hiwatari and shoot his ass dead. Tala bet that the cops would not take any action against the shooter; they would in fact probably give the guy a medal or something.

Another bout of pain washed over him and Tala struggled to hide the pain from his expressions. He knew that Voltaire was watching and he really didn't want the sadistically sick man to see how much pain he really was in. The CEO of BIOVOLT would probably just inflict more pain.

Tala lay down as he thought about the recent events and recent losses. He found himself wondering how the other teams were taking the things that had just happened. He wondered what Spencer and Ian – the only remaining Blitzkrieg Boys – were doing, _how_ they were doing. Tala knew that the two Russians were tough, but just how tough were they really?

_Oh god, why is this happening!_

As he lay on the cold, stone floor, his life force silently pouring out of numerous wounds on his body, Tala conjured up an image of his best friend. Kai's slate and dark blue hair was impeccably gelled into spikes, his crimson eyes as piercing as ever. He had his arms crossed in what was his trademark pose, eyes glaring at nothing in particular. Kai's familiar white scarf billowed out behind him in a non-existent wind.

_I wish you were here tonight with me to see the northern lights_

Tala remembered the countless times he and Kai had sat together on a roof, staring at the stars for hours, trying to pick out which stars were their parents.

_I wish I could have you by my side tonight when the sky is burning_

The burning of the Abbey: he and Kai had been outside training, when it seemed as though the sky near the horizon was indeed burning.

_'Cause I've been down and I've been crawling . . ._

Crawling away from the whips those countless trainers at the Abbey had used to whip their 'students' into shape. Tala could still feel the harsh sting from when the leather tail came crashing down onto his naked back. It was something he would never forget.

"Kai . . . " he rasped through parched, slightly blue lips. It been what seemed days, even weeks since he had said a word and his throat was sore from not being used. Coughing slightly, Tala felt the sadness that he had fought so hard to keep at bay start to work its way back into his soul.

_Burns like a thousand stars, though you're light years away_

Tala snapped his head up at the sound of metal crashing against metal. A resounding click echoed through the cell he was in and a bright light was shone into his eyes. Blinking his once ice-blue eyes, the Wolf cringed as he saw whom it was standing in the doorway of his cell.

Dimitri.

Dimitri was Voltaire's new 'second-in-command,' since his old one, Boris, was now in Hell. Tala despised and feared Dimitri far more than he ever did with Boris, as Dimitri actually carried through with his threats. He had no morals, no conscience, nothing. Whereas Boris had carried an _inkling_ of a conscience around with him, Dimitri had none what so ever.

"Hello, young Tala," he sneered, crinkling his eyes slightly and making the scar running down the right side of his face crinkle too.

_You're up there, you're always with me_

"Thinking about young Kai are you?" The elder man stepped into the cell and locked the door behind him with a slam. Tala jumped at the sound and tried to crawl away from the man, but found his body too weak to do so.

When Tala didn't answer him, Dimitri got mad. "Well?" he glared at the frightened and injured teen.

A sudden slap caught Tala off guard and he screamed at the pain. It hadn't hurt as much as surprised him, but it still stung like a bitch.

Raising a hand to the stinging patch on his pale cheek, Tala stared up at the man who had hit him.

"Aw, did that hurt, little Tala?" Dimitri taunted, his green eyes flashing with glee. "I was told that you were one of the toughest bladers bred here, but I guess I was wrong."

Tala flinched when Dimitri said the word 'bred' and he knew that the scarred man didn't miss the flinch. Another slap hit him, this time on his back. Tala bit back a scream as it aggravated the wounds decorating the pale flesh, but his grit his teeth as Dimitri's callused hand rubbed against said wounds.

_'Cause I've been down and I've been crawling_

"Get up!" screamed Dimitri. Tala pushed himself up slowly, trying not to bend his ribs in the wrong way. They protested against the movement, but Tala grit his teeth and ignored the sharp flares emitting from his chest and stumbled to his feet where he swayed faintly.

A hand was placed on his chest and Tala glanced up into Dimitri's cold, green eyes. There were traces of a faint smirk on his features and before he knew it, Dimitri was pushing against his broken ribs.

Screaming out in pain, Tala staggered backwards under the force of the push. Gasping for breath with a hand placed on his chest, he doubled over and tried to get some much-needed air into his overworked lungs.

Seconds later, Tala fell. He hit the ground with a thump and felt all the air he had just worked into his lungs, fly out with a gasp. Pain reverberated through his bones and his vision started to waver as he began to lose consciousness.

_Pushed around, always falling_

Taking in shuddering breaths, the Wolborg wielder fought against the incoming darkness. He knew that if he lost consciousness, he wouldn't be waking up any time soon, maybe never. He had to fight it, for Kai, for Kai's memory.

_You're up there, you're always with me_

He _needed_ to get out of his prison. He_ needed _to escape for Kai, for his team. People needed him, so he had to fight the darkness and stay in the light. But it was so hard . . . he was so exhausted. Staying awake was sapping him of all his energy.

Just as the blackness close din on the final kill; Tala conjured up an image of his deceased best friend. It was the image Tala treasured the most. It was Kai . . . smiling.

_Smiling down on me_

In the surveillance room, Voltaire smirked as Tala Ivanov finally lost consciousness.

**Three weeks earlier – the funeral . . .**

Tyson stood amongst his fellow bladers, dark eyes downcast. The sun was shining in the blue sky, casting beams of sunlight onto the large crowd gathered to pay their final respects to two missed friends.

Even though it was a warm day, Tyson couldn't help but feel cold. Three of his friends were dead; two of them were his best friends. Beams of sunlight shone down on the large crowd gathered and Tyson couldn't help but notice the cold air, the misery that was carried on every breath of wind.

Dressed in black pants and a black shirt, Tyson struggled to stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. Max stood beside him, his clothing also black. Tears were running from Max's blue eyes and down his cheeks, eventually dropping onto the black shirt he was wearing. On his other side stood Kenny. The Chief was also dressed in the typical colour of mourning, but Tyson noted that he was not crying. Even though he was not crying, it wasn't hard to see the sadness the computer whiz was felling over his friends' deaths.

Behind the three remaining members of BBA Revolution stood the other beyblading teams, all dressed in black.

Glancing over the crowd, Tyson found his gaze landing on that of a crying blonde-haired teen. The boy's hair was limp and hung around a pale face that Tyson knew was normally quite tanned. Clear blue eyes were now dull and lifeless. Miguel was a mess.

Tyson knew that it must be hard for the Spaniard. He knew that the blader had a crush on Kai, his captain and the fact that the enigma was now dead . . . the shock of his death had obviously hit the teen hard and it was showing. Miguel looked ready to collapse, partly from shock, partly from exhaustion. The teen had only recently been discharged from hospital.

Hearing a sniff, Tyson turned to see Ian from the Blitzkrieg Boys bury his face into Spencer's chest. Heart twisting painfully, the world champ couldn't imagine what it would be like for the two remaining Russian bladers. Out of five bladers, they were the only two left. Kai was dead (yes, Kai was classed as a member of both teams), Bryan was dead and Tala was missing, presumed dead. The red-haired teen had been missing for almost a month and there was still no word as to where he was.

Tearing his eyes away from the crying Russians, Tyson turned his attention to the stage that had been erected for this occasion. On the stage was a microphone stand, which had what seemed millions of flowers placed in front of it. Beside the microphone stand were two columns. On top of each column was a small white box. Tyson knew what resided in those boxes.

In one of them, there were the ashes of Bryan Kuznetsov. In the other, there was a small, round object.

In the fire, Kai's body had been incinerated. Nothing was left to put in a box or to bury. All they had to bury was a single, partly melted blue beyblade.

Suddenly, the entire crowd was silent. Tyson looked up to see Mr. Dickenson standing on the stage. Dressed in a black suit, the head of the BBA was sombre and it looked as though he would break down any minute. It was understandable. Stanley Dickenson had regarded Kai Hiwatari as his own grandson, taking care of him since the boy had escaped the Abbey all those years ago.

The director cleared his throat as he stood there and clasped the microphone with shaky hands.

In a shaky but clear voice, Mr. Dickenson began to speak . . .

"Kai was like a grandson to me. When I first met him, he was only a young boy, not even ten. He had recently escaped from the Abbey and had somehow made his way to Japan. I took him in and began to look after him.

To be honest, I never really knew Kai that well. He always kept to himself and never talked about his past or his family. Sometimes, he would mention a few friends from back in the Abbey and to this day; he was still a friend to them.

Over the years, Kai grew to be a very silent and broody boy. He rose in the ranks of the beyblade world and even managed to become the reigning Japanese champion. His determination and faith in himself and his bitbeast, Dranzer drove him to strive for the best, to be the best. And that, my friends was what Kai became. He became the best, achieving his goals.

It was then that the famous Japanese blading team, the Bladebreakers was formed. I asked Kai to captain the team, knowing that he could a capable job and once again, he proved me right as they won the world championships.

Kai was a very capable blader and in more than one situation helped his team get out of a sticky situation, but also, his team helped him out more than I think he liked to admit. Boys," he looked towards Tyson and his team, "boys, he was proud to be your friend. He was grateful for your help and I knew that he appreciated your friendship, even if he didn't voice it very often."

Tyson chuckled slightly. Kai _never_ voice his emotions. He only ever thanked them in very rare situations, but he knew that deep inside, Kai was thankful. Hearing Mr. Dickenson say it aloud made the pain of losing the blading prodigy even harder to stomach.

"Kai is going to be missed sorely by more than the beyblading community. He was closely involved in helping out with orphaned children and often visited orphanages to teach the children there how to blade. He, being an orphan himself, thought that he could at least do that for other children in the same situation he had been in so many years before."

That was news to Tyson. He had never known about the work with orphanages. _Was that where Kai disappeared to so often when we couldn't contact him?_

"I could say a lot more about Kai Hiwatari, but sadly, this funeral is not only for Kai. Another boy was taken from this world during the past few weeks – Bryan Kuznetsov. Bryan was a member of the prominent Russian blading team, the Blitzkrieg Boys. He was a valued member who will also be sorely missed. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of spending much time with Bryan, so I cannot say much about him. What I do know, is that Bryan was a kind, caring boy who no matter how cold he seemed, had a heart and cared about those close to him. Bryan died a heroic death, protecting those he loved and for that he shall forever be remembered as a hero.

Spencer? Ian? Would you like to take the stand to talk about your friend?"

Tyson watched as the two Russians slowly made their way to the stage and up past the ashes of their friend. Both boys stopped at the small, white box and placed a hand upon it, whispering a few words that were in their native tongue.

_'Bryan . . . brother. No matter where you are, we shall meet in the next life. Stay safe until then. I will miss you until the day we meet again.'_ Spencer closed his eyes and remembered Bryan's face before moving on.

'_Bryan . . . I miss you, man. I always looked up to you and you better never forget that! You were the coolest, especially when you had your flamethrower. Heh, that flamethrower was so cool. I'm going to keep it and remember the good times we had. I guess this is goodbye until we meet again. Bye, bro.' _Ian wiped a tear from his cheek and strode over to where Spencer was standing.

The blonde teen cleared his throat and Tyson looked at the two mourning boys carefully. He could see that they were very close to falling apart.

"Bryan was my brother. We were not related by blood, but we were still brothers. We all were. Kai, Tala, Ian, Bryan and myself . . . we were all brothers and no matter how different our looks and attitudes were, we will always be brothers, even in death.

Growing up, Bryan didn't have the greatest childhood. Orphaned at a young age, he was brought to the Abbey where we quickly became friends. To start off, he was withdrawn and quiet but soon enough we discovered his slightly sadistic . . . evil side."

Spencer laughed quietly and Tyson watched as Spencer and Ian shared a look, before grinning. Spencer stepped backwards and Ian grabbed the microphone.

"You see Bryan had this, we could say, 'fixation.' As we learned to trust each other more, we found out that Bryan had bought a _flamethrower_. He would always terrorise other kids at the Abbey with it and we were the only ones that knew that he had no propellant for it. It gave us a lot of kicks though.

Bryan was a prankster. He loved toying with . . . " Ian stumbled a little as his throat choked up and Tyson knew that it had something to do with either Kai or Tala or both of them.

"Bryan loved toying with Kai and Tala. He was always putting blonde or black hair dye in Tala's shampoo and _glue_ in Kai's hair gel. It became a weekly ritual to see Kai and Tala running around the Abbey chasing after Bryan. Luckily, he never played many pranks on Spence or me.

Well, I guess what I really wanna say is that Bryan wasn't a bad person. Yeah sure, he may have seemed real creepy and evil, but he wasn't, really. The only thing Bry ever hurt was this _really_annoying blowfly that wouldn't leave him alone! It seriously followed him around for _days_. In the end, he _swatted_ it. No flamethrower involved . . . "

Tyson laughed along with the rest of the gathered crowd. Bryan sounded like a really neat guy. It was too bad that none of them had a chance to really get to know the Russian.

Once again, Spencer took the microphone and stood at the podium.

"I guess that is all we can really say. There is a lot more that we could say about Bryan Kuznetsov, but it's all memories. He was a good friend and yes; he died a heroic death – protecting us. I will never forget what he did for us and I hope that none of you ever forget either. He died to protect all of us. Most of you, he didn't know and yes when he died I was a little angry that he had perished to protect a bunch of people who didn't even like him, but that was just Bryan's nature. He forgave and forgot. Bryan was my brother whom I loved dearly as a brother. I could never have asked for a better family than I was given.

Bryan, Kai . . . wherever you may be, rest in peace. That much, you deserve."

There was silence after Spencer's speech and Tyson bowed his head in respect for those who had been taken so suddenly.

"Oh and Tala?" came Spencer's quiet voice. "Wherever _you_ are, you better bloody come back, 'cause I don't ever wanna go to another of my brother's funerals, _ever_."

Watching as the two Russians stepped down from the stage, passing by and acknowledging both Kai and Bryan's memorials, Tyson knew that it was his turn very soon.

Mr. Dickenson once again stood on the podium. "Thank you, boys. Bryan was a great boy whose life was cut short so suddenly. May he rest in peace. Now, would Tyson Granger please like to speak?"

Tyson nodded and quietly walked what seemed a very long way to the stadium where Bryan's ashes and Kai's beyblade resided.

Reaching the microphone, Tyson looked out on the crowd and was shocked to see how many people had actually turned up. There had to be at least two hundred people paying their last respects to the two boys.

"Kai . . ." Tyson began in a shaky voice. "Kai was my friend. Sure, we often got into fights, but he was my friend and you never forget friends like him. Yeah, when we first met he was dubbed the 'Ice Prince' or the 'Human Ice Block,' but he was still our captain and eventually he became our friend too.

If being a world champ was decided using votes, I don't think I ever would have become one. Kai would have won hands down. Whether it was because all his fan girls voted or whether he was more respected, in all areas Kai was a better person than me.

From what I've heard Kai had a hard start to life. With his parents dying and being shipped off to the Abbey, I have no doubt at all that Kai was one of the most caring people I knew. From what I've heard, even though he should have hated the world for what he had been dealt, he still went out of his way to make sure that everyone was okay. We would never go to sleep on trips away without being fed properly and looked after. I also have a feeling that Kai organised a lot of the aspects of trips away.

Dranzer . . . Kai looked after his bitbeast as though his life depended on it. Beyblading was Kai's life; it was what he woke in the morning to do and what he dreamt about at night. If anyone as much as _touched_ Dranzer without his permission, then watch out, Kai was after you. I should know . . . I did it lots."

That got a laugh out of the crowd and Tyson laughed along with them. This was what they should be doing, remembering what Kai was like, remembering his life and what he had done in it. Even though it was cut drastically short.

"I don't know Kai as well as the Blitzkrieg Boys would have known him, but I guess, compared to a lot of other people I'm a Kai Hiwatari Info Bank. I was on his team for three years and in that time; I became world champ three times. And you know what? I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for Kai. He taught me pretty much everything I know today.

Kai was a kind person. He really cared for everyone, even if he did have a weird way of showing it. I mean, who could forget the trademark pose! Hehe, the arms crossed, the scowl, the Hiwatari Death Glare . . .

All in all, I'm going to miss Kai like I miss my own Mum. He taught me so much, from beyblading to how to get of fan girls! I guess, Kai wherever you are, I hope you're happy and that you're not in any more pain. I promise you one thing, Kai. I'm going to find Tala for you. I don't care how long it takes me or how many people give up; I'll find your best friend for you. That's my promise to you. Well," Tyson took a shuddering breath. This was it, the final goodbye to a friend. "This is goodbye . . . I'll never forget what you've done for me. Kai, rest in peace."

A single tear slipped from a dark eye as Tyson stepped away from the podium. He didn't bother wiping it away as Max rushed up to him and enveloped him in a huge hug. Tyson broke down as he felt Max's tears staining his black top and they sank to the ground in a hug, crying.

_Kai . . ._

Miguel watched as Tyson and Max dropped to the ground, tears staining their tanned cheeks. The Spaniard also fought the tears that threatened to spill after Tyson's speech. He just couldn't grasp the fact that his crush was . . . was gone. He was never going to be able to tell Kai his feelings. Even if the enigma were straight, he would have gladly had him reject him than be dead.

With his shaky legs unable to support him any longer, Miguel slumped to the ground. He felt hands wrap around his body to keep him from hitting the ground too hard, but he paid them no attention. His entire focus was on Kai, his crush.

"He can't be dead . . ." he whispered, shock starting to set in. "I never got to tell him . . ."

_Days go by like the wind_

_And this life is too short_

_It makes no sense to give in_

_To release you from_

_My thoughts_

_Kai . . . I promise I'll never forget you. I promise . . ._

* * *

**Epilogue may come at a later date. **_  
_

**Thanks for all your support over the years.**

**-Rachel**


	22. Authors Note: Possible Epilogue

**AUTHORS NOTE - POSSIBLE EPILOGUE**

* * *

****For all those that have kept up with the story all these years, I would just like to let you know that I have deleted the last few chapters of this fic and decided to mark it as 'complete.' I feel that I will never get around to writing another chapter and honestly, it deserves an ending - you readers deserve an ending.

So I may be adding an epilogue at some point to tie up the loose ends with Tala etc, but I don't when that could be.

Just wanna say a HUGE **THANKS** to everyone who has read/reviewed/followed/favourited my first multi-chap fic that succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. This fic will always be one of my favourite as it was the first fic I slaved over for hours at a time, even at one point producing an 8,000 word chapter.

I still occasionally hang round the Beyblade fandom - especially since I have two other multi-chap fics I would really like to finish some day...

_Ten Black Roses_ and _Tears Aren't Made to Fall_

We shall see though.

Send me a PM if you want to express your thoughts about this decision or any other reason =] I know that some wont be able to comment as this has replaced a previous chapter that some of you may have already reviewed.

So, once again

**THANK YOU SO MUCH**

**-Rachel**


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